Key points
- Pakistan collapse to 110 in first T20I loss
- Bangladesh chase target comfortably
- Poor shot selection and run-outs hurt Pakistan’s innings
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, Mike Hesson, has criticised the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, calling it “unacceptable” for international cricket following his side’s heavy defeat in the first T20I against Bangladesh.
Pakistan were bowled out for a mere 110 runs in 19.3 overs, struggling to come to terms with the pitch conditions. Speaking post-match, Hesson acknowledged his side’s failings with the bat but questioned the quality of the surface.
“I don’t think the pitch is suitable for anyone,” said Hesson. “Teams are trying to prepare for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. This is not acceptable. While it doesn’t excuse some of our poor decisions with the bat, this surface isn’t up to international standards.”
Top order collapse
Pakistan’s top order collapsed to 46 for 5 within eight overs, with several batters falling to ambitious shots and three run-outs further compounding their woes.
“We got a few early boundaries through Fakhar Zaman, which gave a false sense of how the pitch would behave,” Hesson explained. “In the middle overs, we made poor decisions, particularly when the ball started to nip and bounce sharply. The run-outs also didn’t help.”
However, Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon, who anchored the chase with a match-winning half-century, disagreed with Hesson’s assessment.
Assessing the conditions
“We didn’t think the pitch was poor—we chased it down in under 16 overs,” Emon said. “Had we batted the full 20, we might’ve scored 150-160. I think they just didn’t adjust well. We assessed the conditions better, and that was our first objective.”
Despite the defeat, Hesson stood by his criticism, saying that such surfaces hinder proper player development and preparation for high-level competition.
“You need quality cricket wickets to help players grow. There were some decent tracks during the BPL, to be fair, but this one wasn’t up to the mark for international cricket,” he said.
“It doesn’t benefit Bangladesh either when they play abroad. Batting first on such a pitch is tough—you don’t know if 100, 130, or 150 is competitive. It’s not ideal for anyone, though we still need to perform better regardless of conditions.”
Bangladesh lead the three-match series 1-0, with the second T20I scheduled at the same venue on Tuesday.
