Pakistan fell two spots in the World Test Championship standings after suffering a 104-run loss to Bangladesh in the first Test of a two-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The defeat dropped Pakistan from fifth to seventh in the updated rankings.
The loss was Pakistan's third consecutive Test defeat against Bangladesh and gave Bangladesh their first-ever home Test victory over Pakistan. Bangladesh climbed two spots in the standings, moving from eighth to sixth. India, which had been one spot below Pakistan before the match, also climbed one position.
Bangladesh seized control of the match after tea on the final day. Pakistan had still been alive in the chase of 268, largely because of debutant Abdullah Fazal, who scored 66 under pressure and built a partnership with Salman Ali Agha. But veteran spinner Taijul Islam dismissed Fazal via review, and Taskin Ahmed removed Salman in the following over. From there, fast bowler Nahid Rana ripped through Pakistan's middle and lower order, finishing with figures of 5/40. He dismissed Saud Shakeel and bowled Mohammad Rizwan with a delivery that nipped back sharply into the stumps.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood took criticism from fans online following the loss, with widespread calls on social media for his removal. He addressed the defeat after the match. "Hindsight is 20/20. We looked at the conditions and in terms of seam bowling we had the best conditions. We got two early wickets. But in the first innings we didn't capitalise on that and then we didn't capitalise with the bat either," Masood said.
He acknowledged his side needed to close out games more decisively. "We could have pushed for more runs. But in the first innings, with bat and ball, we needed to do better. You can never question the effort, especially when you are playing Test cricket after six months. Test cricket on surfaces like this teaches you that when you have the game in your hands you have to push the opposition away, but we failed to do that," Masood said, according to Yahoo Sports.
Masood was more positive about Pakistan's two debutants. "When we picked them, we picked them seeing potential that they can play at this level. Their maturity was great. For them, the thing is can they be consistent in Test cricket? I think they have the potential to do that. When you get opportunities to stamp your authority we have to do that," he said.
The second Test in the series is still to come, with Pakistan needing a result to avoid a series sweep and further damage to their World Test Championship position.
