Pakistan’s humiliating whitewash in the Test against Bangladesh has not only drawn ire from Pakistani fans and ex-cricketers but has also warranted strong reactions from abroad with renowned commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle terming the 2-0 defeat “embarrassing”.
“Well as Bangladesh played, this is embarrassing for Pakistan,” Bhogle said in a statement on X while referring to Pakistan’s defeat at the hands of the The Tigers.
His remarks come after Bangladesh on Tuesday secured a six-wicket win in the second Test against Pakistan to clean-sweep the two-match series — their first series win over Pakistan in the longest format of the game.
The guests, during their visit, secured a 10-wicket win in the first Test to bag their first-ever victory against the Green Shirts in red-ball cricket.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s men continued their momentum in the second face-off and triumphed in the second Test to complete their clean-sweep.
With yesterday’s defeat, Pakistan have lost five straight Tests — three against Australia and two against Bangladesh — in the ongoing World Test Championship.
Reflecting on the Pakistan team’s weaknesses, Bhogle recalled his earlier statement regarding Pakistan’s vulnerability in the longer format and said: “I remember saying some time ago that the shorter the game, the more dangerous Pakistan would be, and, almost as consequence, that the longer the game, the more vulnerable they would be”.
“But I didn’t expect it to be this stark,” he noted while referring to the national side’s performance.
“In all fairness, Bangladesh have had quite a few moments to be proud of. None more so than beating India in the 2007 WC. How fitting then, that the two kids from that day, Shakib and Mushfiq, now in the middle as veterans, see their team through to their biggest test series win,” the commentator added while referring to the series outcome.
This is not the first time that the Green Shirts’ performance in the five-day format raised eyebrows as previously ex-England cricketer Kevin Pietersen also expressed concern about Pakistan cricket after the team’s loss against Bangladesh in the first Test.
“What happened to cricket in Pakistan? When I played the PSL, the standard of that league was tremendous, the players had a very good work ethic and the youngsters on display were magic. What’s happening there?” Pietersen said.
