Pakistan Team Faces Loss After Early Declaration

In the first Test against Bangladesh, Pakistan's captain Shan Masood declared the innings at 448/6, leaving Mohammad Rizwan unbeaten on 171, just 29 runs short of his first Test double century. Following the declaration, which was made with the intention of giving the bowlers time to operate before rain potentially disrupted play, Bangladesh capitalized by scoring 565 runs and winning the match by 10 wickets. Vice-captain Saud Shakeel defended the decision, stating that Rizwan had been informed about the declaration well in advance, emphasizing that it was not made hastily. Shakeel and Rizwan's substantial partnership of 240 runs had initially stabilized Pakistan after a poor start of 16/3. Masood acknowledged that the team made mistakes during the match and that the bowlers failed to effectively use the second new ball. The loss puts Bangladesh ahead in the series 1-0.