Bangladesh HP Lost against Pakistan Shaheens: Tough Time Continues!

Bangladesh HP team suffered an eight-wicket loss against the Pakistan Shaheens in an encounter at Australia. Although it was not an international game, the match between the Bangladesh High-Performance Team (HP Team) and the Pakistan Shaheens (Pakistan A Team) was important for both teams because this tournament was arranged to prepare for upcoming international events. Both teams have been going through tough times for a while now. Pakistan had seen their very poor performance and early exit in the ODI World Cup 2023 and then they got eliminated in the first stage of the T20 World Cup 2024!

While the next target is the Champion’s Trophy 2025, all the teams are preparing and trying to find potential players to ensure the best preparation for this tournament. Despite the setback in this match, Bangladesh and Pakistan are showing promising signs for the future. While Pakistan can be relieved from this match, the crisis even deepens for Bangladesh Cricket.

The Match Scenario

The match unfolded with Pakistan winning the toss and choosing to field first despite the pitch not being particularly favorable. The Australian conditions usually challenge Bangladeshi batters, with the fastball movement often proving brutal.

Unfortunately, the Bangladesh batters couldn’t outsmart the Pakistani pacers. In a devastating batting collapse, Bangladesh scored only 32 runs in 9.4 overs, losing their crucial wickets. Parvez Hossain Emon’s 19 runs was the highest score, with no other batter crossing the twenty-run mark.  Shamim Hossain scored 13 runs, and Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby ended with 12 runs. Apart from these three, no other batter could reach a two-digit score. After 24.3 overs, Bangladesh’s batting side collapsed for 78 runs only, meaning they couldn’t carry it even to the half of the innings.

All the Pakistani bowlers showed excellent bowling performances. Mohammad Imran Jr. got three wickets for 22 runs, while Jahandad Khan, Khurram Shahzad, and Mubassir Khan took two wickets each. 

In response, Bangladesh did not have much to hope except for continuing the match as long as possible. Yet pacer Ripon got the wicket of Mondol Sahibzada in the second over. He also got the wicket of Abdul Faseeh, but the situation was not in control then. However, Usman Khan and Abdul Faseeh made a sensible partnership of 48 runs, which almost ensured Pakistan’s win in this low-run-chasing challenge. Usman’s unbeaten 39 of 45 balls and Tayyab’s 17 of 36 balls helped them secure the victory as soon as possible. In just 17 overs, they ensured the win for Pakistan by eight wickets.

Horrific Situation in Bangladesh While the Match Was Undergoing!

The movement started with students’ demand for Quota Reformation in Bangladesh, which ultimately became a mass movement against the government, with some horrific and tragic deaths and then a surprising revolution to step the government down!

In such a situation, every country’s citizen was upset, which could also affect the cricket players.  While political unrest in Pakistan is a regular occurrence, the situation in Bangladesh is a new experience for most of the current citizens. The political turmoil has caught the attention of Bangladeshi citizens, who have been big cricket fans for ages. However, despite the challenging circumstances, the players are professionals and committed to performing their jobs no matter what happens in the country, inspiring us all with their dedication.

Setting aside the political situation, both Pakistan and Bangladesh showed promise in the series in Australia. In the first match, Pakistan secured a win against NT Strike, a team representing the Northern Territory of Australia, by four wickets. Bangladesh’s HP team also performed strongly, winning by a significant 112 runs against the same team in their first match.

What Bangladesh should Consider after this Match?

Bangladesh cricket will likely undergo an inevitable reformation since the government has changed. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will likely undergo some changes, as will Bangladesh’s preparation for the coming days.

Except for Ripon Mondol, no mention-worthy performance other than this has been seen in this match. However, considering this a bad day, Bangladesh must return strongly to the series by performing well in the next matches.

Final Thoughts

While Bangladesh is looking for areas to improve, the young talents have a chance to show their skills by performing well in coming matches. It’s time for Bangladesh to hold its nerve and move forward. In particular, the batting unit must enhance its performance to see different results. Let’s see how the Bangladesh HP Team deals with the situation now.