Another day, another loss for Pakistan.
That seems to have become the script for Pakistan on its tour of Bangladesh. But while the results may be shocking to many, the 4-0 scoreline, days after the ODI whitewash, is not entirely surprising.
Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain, the enigmatic Shahid Afridi, has taken it in stride though.
“There is no need to be disappointed as there are good times and bad times in everybody’s lives,” Afridi said after his team went down in the only T20 against Bangladesh.
Fast-rising Bangladesh exposed a new look Pakistan team under a new captain Azhar Ali in all three ODI matches played in Dhaka, winning by margins of 79 runs, seven and eight wickets.
It was Pakistan’s fifth one-day series loss in the last 12 months.
The dose was repeated on Friday as Bangladesh recorded their first ever T20 triumph over Pakistan, breaking a 7-match losing streak.
Pakistan has now slumped to eighth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings — their worst since the system was introduced in 2003. They are placed at the 4th position in Tests and T20s.
But the 35-year-old Afridi believes, Pakistan’s rookies have what it takes to deliver on the big stage and called upon fans to be patient.
“We are assessing a lot of things and you will see that things will improve. I am very positive that the players are here to stay and going nowhere as they are our future stars.”
“There are mistakes, which have to be dealt with, and we must move towards the betterment,” he said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has promised a review of the disastrous tour but has reiterated that there won’t be any knee-jerk reactions.
“We shall not be pressing any panic buttons but will wait for the tour’s end before engaging in a thorough review of all factors.”
Pakistan will have the opportunity to make things right in the Test series which starts on April 28. They would be bolstered by the return of stalwarts Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
While a different ball game altogether, the two Test matches would give a fair idea of how much Pakistan have slumped and how much Bangladesh have come along.
