The failure of Pakistan's senior players to deliver in decisive passages has become central to their recent Test slump, writes Sarah Waris.
Bangladesh’s 78-run win in Sylhet did more than seal a 2-0 series sweep. It gave them a fourth successive Test win over Pakistan, took them above Pakistan to seventh in the ICC Test rankings, and extended a reversal that began only in 2024, when Bangladesh beat Pakistan in the format for the first time.
Across the two Tests, the contrast was clearest in the passages that turned the series. When Bangladesh were under pressure, their experienced players repeatedly produced the innings or spells that changed the match. Pakistan had contributions from senior names too, but too few came in the passages that could have pulled the Tests back their way.
In the first Test in Dhaka, Bangladesh were reeling at 31-2 after Pakistan opted to bowl, but captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque added 170 for the third wicket. Shanto made 101, Mominul 91, and Mushfiqur Rahim later contributed 71 as Bangladesh reached 413. Mohammad Abbas, returning to the side, took five wickets, while Shaheen Afridi bowled 31.1 overs for three. Pakistan had early wickets and later took the last six for 75, but could not create enough sustained pressure against Bangladesh’s senior batters.
Pakistan’s reply of 386 kept them close, with debutant Azan Awais making 103. Another newcomer, Abdullah Fazal, made 60, while Salman Agha and Mohammad Rizwan added fifties. But Pakistan still conceded a 27-run lead. The innings had individual resistance, but not enough from the senior group to put them ahead.
1st Test, Bangladesh vs Pakistan
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A similar pattern followed in Bangladesh’s second innings. They were 23-2, but Mominul and Shanto added 105. Bangladesh eventually declared on 240-9, leaving Pakistan a target of 268, realistically not out of reach. Fazal, however, did not find enough support. Pakistan were 119-4 when he fell for 66, and lost their last six wickets for 44. Shan Masood made 2, Rizwan 15, Saud Shakeel 15 and Salman 26. Nahid Rana’s five-for finished the Test, but Pakistan had already missed two openings: first when Bangladesh recovered from 31-2, and then when their own senior batters failed to take a chase of 268 deep despite a steady start.
Sylhet followed a similar trend. Shaheen missed the second Test, but Abbas and Khurram Shahzad gave Pakistan the start they needed after they opted to bowl first again. Bangladesh were 116-6 in the first innings, but Litton Das made 126 from there, with the last four wickets adding 162 as they eventually posted 278. Pakistan’s seamers had created a position from where Bangladesh should have been kept well below that total, but they could not finish the innings.
2nd Test, Bangladesh vs Pakistan
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Their batters then gave back whatever advantage remained. Awais and Fazal could not repeat their first-Test runs, while Masood and Shakeel’s poor series continued as Pakistan slipped to 79-4. Babar Azam, playing his first Test of the series, made 68 and looked in good touch, but fell at 142-5, with Pakistan needing a bigger innings from him to stay alive in the series. Rizwan made 13 and Salman 21 as Pakistan were bowled out for 232. From having Bangladesh 116-6, they ended the first innings 46 behind.
Even then, the match was not over. In the second innings, Bangladesh were 115-4 when Shanto fell for 15, with the lead still within Pakistan’s reach. A strong spell there could have brought the target within the desired level. Instead, Mushfiqur and Litton added 123 in Bangladesh’s total of 390, with Mushfiqur making 137 and Litton 69.
Pakistan’s chase lasted 93.5 overs, but it rarely felt like they had control of the game. Masood made 71 after 32 runs in his previous three innings of the series, Babar added 47, and Rizwan and Salman made 94 and 71, respectively. But the target was 437 because Pakistan had already let Bangladesh recover twice, first from 116-6 to 278 and then from 115-4 to 390. The fourth-innings runs made the defeat narrower, not the match closer.
The final series tables only confirmed what the passages of play had shown. Bangladesh’s top four run-scorers were all senior batters: Mushfiqur, Litton, Shanto and Mominul. Pakistan’s highest run-scorer was Rizwan, with 181. The bowling list followed a similar pattern: 34-year-old Taijul Islam finished first with 13 wickets, and the exciting Nahid had 11, while Abbas’ ten wickets were Pakistan’s best return. Pakistan had individual performances, but Bangladesh’s players were more consistent and more often came in the passages that decided the Tests.
The Bangladesh series was not an outlier. It fitted into a longer run in which Pakistan have kept changing combinations without finding stability: since the start of 2022, they have won seven of 28 Tests, losing 17 and drawing four. Under Masood, they have lost 12 of 16. They have also lost seven straight overseas Tests, their last away win coming in Sri Lanka in 2023, and went 11 home Tests without a win between March 2022 and August 2024.
That record cannot be placed only on the senior players. Pakistan have dealt with injuries, selection inconsistencies and repeated changes in the support staff. But that is also why more was needed from the players who have been around longer. In a side searching for continuity, Pakistan could not afford their experienced players to contribute only in parts.
Babar’s 2,020 runs at 42.08 since 2022 remain Pakistan’s best return in this period, but his 19-innings stretch without a fifty between January 2023 and December 2024 affected the team’s fortunes. Rizwan, arguably Pakistan’s best Test batter of late, has 1,608 runs at 39.21, often in repair jobs rather than innings that put Pakistan ahead. With the ball, Noman Ali’s 82 wickets at 24.45 have largely come in spin-friendly home conditions, while Pakistan’s quicks have averaged 37.32 since 2022, worse than every Test nation except Ireland. Shaheen’s 40 wickets at 37.25, without a five-for, underline the issue.
That is where the Bangladesh series fits Pakistan’s recent Test pattern. Pakistan did not get enough from their experienced players in the moments that could have changed the series. They made entries into both Tests, but Bangladesh repeatedly found ways to come out on top, with their stalwarts leading the way.
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