We apologise to the nation for the Test loss: Shan Masood
As the nation reacts to the defeat, Masood expressed his regret, saying, "We're all upset. The whole nation is upset. As a leader of this team, we apologise to the nation for failing to give people the result they wanted."
Khan Mutasim Billah LifeEditor
Posted - 2024-08-26T00:42:31+06:00
Updated - 2024-08-26T00:42:31+06:00
In the aftermath of Pakistan's dramatic loss to Bangladesh in the first Test, captain Shan Masood openly admitted his team's shortcomings. "As a team, we made a lot of mistakes over the four days and Bangladesh were worthy winners," Masood said, reflecting on a match that saw Pakistan bowled out for 146 on the final day, giving Bangladesh an easy target of 30 runs, which they achieved without losing a wicket.
Masood praised Bangladesh's disciplined approach, particularly the efforts of spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who played a crucial role in Pakistan's collapse. "They were very disciplined in their batting. We gave them a few chances as well when Mehidy and Mushfiqur [Rahim] were playing," he noted.
A significant turning point in the match came with the second new ball. "Where we lost the game was the second new ball. That's where we could have imposed ourselves on the game and let ourselves down," Masood admitted. His sentiments were echoed by assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, who pointed out the costly 67 runs conceded in the final ten overs of Day 3.
Masood also reflected on the decision to declare early in the first innings, citing concerns about the weather. "If you asked me now, we would have liked another 50-100 runs," Masood said, acknowledging the hindsight. Despite this, Masood stood by the decision to field an all-pace attack, though he hinted that the absence of a spinner might have been a factor. "Hindsight is always 20/20; you can always fit the spinner in, but you have to look at the full balance of the side."
As the nation reacts to the defeat, Masood expressed his regret, saying, "We're all upset. The whole nation is upset. As a leader of this team, we apologise to the nation for failing to give people the result they wanted."
Despite the loss, Masood emphasized that not everything was done wrong. "On the first four days, we were the ones that were very proactive, we were trying to take decisions, we declared quite early, we scored at a quicker rate. But those things don't count at the end of the day when you lose the game."
Pakistan will now have to regroup quickly, with discussions about a potential return for Abrar Ahmed for the second Test based on pitch and weather conditions. "Even if you lose, it doesn't mean you've done everything wrong," Masood added. But as he conceded, "those things don't count at the end of the day when you lose the game."