We expected the pitch to do a bit more: Masood after Rawalpindi Test

Everything that could go wrong went wrong for Pakistan on a Rawalpindi surface, which mimicked a highway on the first three plays of the day. When Bangladesh went past Pakistan’s mammoth first-innings score of 448, it felt like the match was certainly heading towards a draw. 

But that’s when everything dramatically changed, with the Bangladesh spinners putting on a show with the ball on day five, removing seven Pakistani batters with combined figures of 7/65. 

Was Pakistan’s worst defeat at home a case of misreading the conditions? 

Pakistan's Test skipper Shan Masood, in the post-match presentation, admitted that the Pakistan management expected the pitch to ‘do a bit more’ for the pacers. 

“Never to make it an excuse, it didn't play the way we thought it would. Also, the weather that had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play. Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do it a bit more,” Masood reflected in the post-match presentation. 

That first look prompted the Pakistani skipper to choose an all-pace attack, which ultimately proved to be too costly for them at home. If that wasn’t enough, Masood also took the brave call to declare in the first innings, with their score on 448/6, a move that, in hindsight, looked horrible. 

“With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong. Hindsight, looking at the declaration, we wanted to push the game forward. Also, with the ball and in the field, we could have done better to keep them at par,” he added. 

While Bangladesh kept chipping away with wickets in their second innings, Pakistan failed to do the same when Bangladesh were batting. The Pakistani bowlers’ efforts fell flat on their faces, with Mushfiqur Rahim’s 191 and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 77 proving to be the difference, as Pakistan suffered their first-ever ten-wicket loss at home in Tests. 

“It's a misconception; with the way it was, it was going to take a lot. A lot can happen under pressure. There have been mistakes and we have to do better when we play next. There's always room for a spinner, we lost Aamer Jamal who does well with both bat and ball. In Sydney, Sajid Khan played, going with four pacers didn't work in this game,” Masood regretted. 

“There has been different pitches produced, it's a huge lesson for us on what to expect from our own conditions. The key is to consider the conditions and not make the same mistakes we have made here.”

With a 1-0 lead in the series, Bangladesh would be hoping to win the second Test as well and seal the series. The second encounter will be played at the same venue, starting on August 30 (Friday).