Pakistan's Failed Test: Salman Butt Concerns Team Strategy And Bowling Accuracy

Ex-captain calls for instant changes after Bangladesh's horrible loss

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt shows disappointment about the team's first Test against Bangladesh's performance /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Former skipper Salman Butt has publicly criticized Pakistan's bowlers and management following the team's shockingly poor 10-wicket loss to Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Butt pointed out bad tactical decisions and poor bowling as main causes of the surprising loss and demanded immediate improvements before the next Test match.

Pakistan started strong, declaring their first innings at 448/6, but they couldn’t keep their momentum. Bangladesh scored a great 565 runs in their first innings since the bowlers failed to take advantage of the solid foundation laid by the batsmen. With an amazing 191 runs, Mushfiqur Rahim was Bangladesh's top player, forcing Pakistan to back off. The Pakistani pace attack, which was expected to lead the team's defense, struggled significantly, unable to disturb the Bangladeshi batsmen and finally resulted in a notable first-innings loss.

"Pitch was not the issue. The quality of bowling was. Our bowling coach said that the pitch didn't turn out the way we wanted. Bowlers also said that the pitch was not good. How does that make sense? Especially when Pakistan got bowled out inside two sessions. Their pacers got the wickets of our top order batters before the spinners took responsibility in the middle. So, this is a long list of mismanagement and incompetence," Butt said on his YouTube channel.

The former skipper particularly attacked Pakistan's pace attack, pointing out that Bangladesh's bowlers were faster and more fit than theirs. Given Pakistan's previous record for producing world-class fast bowlers, this observation is quite alarming. Butt also raised questions regarding the management and development of the team's top players since the younger bowlers in the group looked to perform better than their more experienced colleagues.

"Where should I start? Playing four fast bowlers, the declaration, the line and length, everything went wrong. I think this is the first time that the average speed of Bangladesh bowlers was higher than ours. They looked more fit than us. Our junior fast bowlers did better than our senior ones. So, there is a list of mistakes made by the team. Where should we start? Who should we pick and blame because the list goes on," Butt said.

This loss was Pakistan's first to Bangladesh in Test cricket and their first time they had lost by a 10-wicket margin at home. With the second Test coming on August 30, Pakistan's team management has an uphill battle to solve the important problems revealed in this match and prevent a repeat of such a disappointing performance.