Dubai September 4 2024: Pakistan dropped two places in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings to go to eighth position after suffering a shock series loss at home to Bangladesh.
The hosts were sixth in the Rankings table before the series, but back-to-back losses have seen them drop below West Indies to eighth with 76 rating points.
This is the lowest rating points Pakistan have had in the Test rankings table since 1965, barring a brief period where they did not have a place in the rankings due to an insufficient number of matches.
“Extremely disappointed, we were excited for the home season but the story has been the same as Australia,” Pakistan skipper Shan Masood said after the loss in the second Test to Bangladesh.
“We have not learnt our lessons. We thought we were playing good cricket in Australia but not doing the job, that’s something we need to work on.”
Bangladesh were 26/6 at one point in the Test match before they clawed their way back into the game with Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz stitching together a solid partnership to reduce the deficit.
“It has happened four times in my tenure that we have let the team [opposition] back into the contest when we were dominating,” Masood said, speaking of Bangladesh’s comeback in Rawalpindi.
“We should have done better after having them at 26/6. That’s something we need to work on and work on quickly.”
“We need to get fitter, neater and prepare better. It is going to be a long Test and domestic season and we need to be better prepared for England,” he concluded in the post-match presentation.
Coach Jason Gillespie echoed Shan’s sentiments
“We need to sharpen up on certain areas, and we will sharpen up.
“I really want to back and believe in these players, they are good enough and have shown glimpses of how good we are. We just need to do it more often and consistently,” Gillespie further added.
Pakistan have had a poor run in home Tests since 2021, losing six of their last 10 Test matches at home with the other four Tests drawn. The last win in a home Test dates back to February 2021.
Series losses to Australia and England aside, there was a drawn Test series against New Zealand where neither side won a Test.
The 2-0 loss to Bangladesh also included their first ever loss to Bangladesh in a Test match.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s run-chase of 185 in the second Test match is the third-highest successful run-chase by a visiting side in Pakistan.
The series win sees Bangladesh gain 13 rating points in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings table although they still remain at ninth position, just below Pakistan.
There are more immediate rewards in the current World Test Championship Standings with the visitors climbing up to fourth with three wins in six Tests this cycle.
