The Pakistan cricket team has been swept clean on home soil in a Test series by Bangladesh. This is the first time such words have been written in the context of Pakistan and Bangladesh – and few familiar with cricket would have thought they ever would be. Those among Pakistan cricket fans still trying to cling to something resembling pride will point to the fact that it was only a two-Test series and that Test series in the past would include three to five matches. However, there was a time when Bangladesh simply winning a Test match in Pakistan was unfathomable. That is exactly what happened in the first test. And now, historic defeat has been compounded by historic defeat. Yet again, a batting collapse in the second innings sealed Pakistan’s fate. While the bowling attack performed better this time, having the visitors at 26/6 in their first innings, Pakistan’s penchant for lacking the decisiveness to take their opponents out resurfaced and Bangladesh were let off the hook. Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Mirza were allowed to put up a 165-run partnership, with the former getting a century in the process, enabling Bangladesh to reach a respectable 262 runs when they ought to have been bowled for little over 100 runs.
But it was Pakistan’s debacle with the bat in its second innings that truly stood out. Key players went missing once again, with Babar Azam being dismissed for 11 runs and captain Shan Masood for 28 runs. Bangladesh’s bowlers did what their Pakistani counterparts could not and did not let their opponents get back up once they had the down, bowling them out for 172 runs. As was the case in the first Test, the final innings became mostly a formality, with Bangladesh having to make just 185 runs to win. The fact that this defeat, particularly the batting performance in Pakistan’s second innings, was almost a carbon copy of the first speaks to how Pakistan’s players and coaches are just not learning. However, this pattern of defeat, underperformance and missed opportunities is not something down to the recent crop of players and coaches. This is a pattern fans of Pakistan cricket have been familiar with for decades, even if it has become more pronounced in recent years. Throughout all this time, the PCB has been the only constant.
The argument can be made that the level of talent Pakistan had in the past saved them from so many humiliating defeats within such a short period, even though they shared many of the same flaws with the present batch. However, the decline in the level of talent available to Pakistan is also a concern. Now, those at the top of Pakistan cricket have nothing left to hide behind and little that is positive to point to. Though the PSL has been a terrifically entertaining and lucrative tournament, it has failed to improve the national side. In fact, it increasingly feels like the opposite is the case. The need of the moment is accountability and it must start from the top.