'When I played, they had good work ethic. What happened?': Kevin Pietersen questions Pakistan cricket's 'standard'

Pakistan endured one of its most shocking defeats on Sunday, losing to Bangladesh by 10 wickets in a home Test at Rawalpindi. This humiliating loss not only marked Pakistan's first-ever defeat against Bangladesh in Test cricket but also deepened the woes of captain Shan Masood, who has yet to secure a win since taking over the role last year.

Under Masood's leadership, Pakistan has now suffered four consecutive losses in the longest format, with this latest setback etching itself into the history books as a particularly painful chapter for the national team.

Justifiably, the defeat has triggered strong reactions from the Pakistan cricket fraternity and even Kevin Pietersen, the former England batter, couldn't help express his concern over Pakistan's poor outing. Pietersen recalled his playing days when he used to appear regularly in the Pakistan Super League, insisting that the quality of the league was “tremendous.” He wondered what led to the side's downfall since.

“What happened to cricket in Pakistan? When I played the PSL, the standard of that league was tremendous, the players had a very good work ethic and the youngsters on display were magic. What’s happening there?” Pietersen said.

Earlier, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi slammed Shan Masood's side for "lack of awareness" after their defeat in the first Test. He took to his official X handle and said that the loss in the first Test against Bangladesh raises serious questions about selecting four fast bowlers and leaving their main spinner out.

"A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this type of pitch, select four fast bowlers and leave out a specialist spinner. This to me clearly shows a lack of awareness about home conditions. That said, you cannot take the credit away from Bangladesh for the brand of cricket they played throughout the Test," Shahid Afridi wrote on X.

Masood on the loss

Masood had himself acknowledged that the team made a mistake in reading the conditions ahead of the game. “We had anticipated the pitch to offer more assistance to the seamers. Looking at the pitch, we expected it to do more,” he said at the post-match conference.

“If we played 3 fast bowlers, we would be pushing them to the limit and the spinner would be bowling 25-30 overs a day, which we wanted to avoid."