Dhaka, May 12 (IANS) Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood acknowledged that his team could not take advantage of key moments after they lost to Bangladesh by 104 runs in the first Test at Mirpur. This defeat gave Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the series and marked their third consecutive Test win over Pakistan.

After winning the toss, Pakistan chose to bowl first on a green pitch. Masood defended this decision despite the loss, saying, “First on the green turf, hindsight is 20/20. We looked at the conditions and believed we had the best chances for seam bowling,” Masood said after the match.

Pakistan started strong with the ball, quickly putting Bangladesh in a tough spot. However, they could not keep up the pressure, allowing captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque to stabilise the innings.

“We got two early wickets. In the first innings, we did not take advantage of that good start. With the bat as well, there were moments when we could have scored more runs and built a bigger lead. I think we need to reflect on the first innings, both with bat and ball,” Masood admitted.

Bangladesh took control of the match, thanks to Shanto’s 87 in the second innings. Fast bowler Nahid Rana overwhelmed Pakistan’s batting lineup with a stunning five-wicket haul on the final day.

However, Masood did not doubt the commitment of his players after their first Test in six months. “You can never question the effort, especially after such a long break. But it was challenging after that first over. Shanto and Mominul played well, and they deserve credit,” he said.

“From the second over to the end of the day, we showed some resilience on the second day. We also did well with the bat in the first innings. But Test cricket on pitches like this teaches you to take control when you have the game in hand. We didn’t do that.”

On the final day, Pakistan chased 268 and received solid support from debutants Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal. Fazal scored a composed 66 in his first Test appearance, briefly lifting Pakistan’s hopes before Bangladesh struck multiple times in the final session.

Masood praised both youngsters, especially Fazal, who found out late the previous night that he would play after Babar Azam’s withdrawal. “I’m extremely pleased. We picked them for their potential, and Azan showed great maturity across both innings. His performance was brilliant.”

“Abdullah came in as a last-minute replacement. He didn’t even know he would play until late at night when Babar had to withdraw. He showed great maturity in both innings. Now, the question for them is whether they can be consistent in Test cricket. I believe they have the potential to achieve that,” he said.

Despite the promising contributions from the debutants, Masood admitted that Pakistan repeatedly missed chances to seize control at critical moments during the match.

“When you get opportunities to assert your authority over the opposition, we need to take those chances,” he said. “There were moments in the game when Abdullah and Agha were batting together. If they had continued for another half hour or hour, it could have put us in a strong position.”

“Also, when Rizwan and Saud were batting, we had situations where we could have brought ourselves into the game but did not capitalise.”

–IANS

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