Pakistan suffered a significant blow to their history in Test cricket by enduring an unexpected whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh on home soil. The six-wicket defeat in the second Test in Rawalpindi on Tuesday plummeted them to the 8th position in the ICC Test team rankings, with a meager rating of 76 - their lowest since 1965.
Prior to the Bangladesh series, Pakistan held the sixth spot in the rankings. However, consecutive losses have seen them slip below West Indies to eighth place with only 76 rating points. This marks the lowest rating Pakistan has held in the Test rankings since 1965, except for a brief period when they were not ranked due to an insufficient number of matches.
Following the defeat, Pakistan's captain, Shan Masood, expressed profound disappointment, noting that his team has failed to learn from past errors. He lamented how they allowed Bangladesh to stage comebacks despite initially having them on the back foot, a scenario that has occurred four times during his leadership. Masood stressed the urgency of enhancing fitness levels, preparation, and performance under pressure to effectively compete with formidable opponents like England in the upcoming season.
Pakistan suffered a significant setback in the first Test against Bangladesh, losing by 10 wickets in what was their first-ever defeat to their opponents in a Test match. However, little did the Shan Masood-led side know that more surprises were yet to come. Despite a shaky start with a score of 26/6 in the first innings of the second Test, Bangladesh staged a remarkable comeback led by Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, posting a competitive total. Their young pacers then dismantled the Pakistan batting lineup with ease.
In the second innings, the Bangladesh batters showed no signs of nerves as they chased down 185 runs to secure a historic whitewash.
Although Bangladesh remains in ninth position in the rankings, they gained 13 rating points from the series win. This victory has propelled them to fourth place in the World Test Championship cycle 2023-25 standings, behind India, Australia, and New Zealand.
Looking ahead, Bangladesh will shift their focus to a two-Test series against India, set to begin in Chennai on September 19. With a win-loss record of three each in six Tests, Bangladesh currently holds 45.83 percentage points and 33 points in the championship standings.
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