‘It seemed that Australia or England were playing Pakistan’

Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad said that Bangladesh played like elite Test teams such as England or Australia in Rawalpindi, as the visitors cruised to a six-wicket victory in the second Test against Pakistan on Tuesday, completing a 2-0 series sweep.

"Hats off to Bangladesh for the kind of cricket they played. The way they batted, bowled, fielded, and even their captaincy, outclassing Pakistan in all four aspects was evident," said Shehzad in a YouTube video published on his channel @AhmadShahzadOfficial.

Chasing 185 for victory, Bangladesh rode a string of cameos to seal their third Test series victory away from home with more than one session left at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

"The way Bangladesh bowlers picked timely wickets, it seemed that a team like Australia or England were playing; but no disrespect to Bangladesh, who I think played out of their skins."

The national discard, who last played a international match in 2019 and remains the only Pakistan player to have scored a century in all three formats, was most impressed by the exploits of rookie pacer Nahid Rana. Rana's fiery spell in the second innings, eventually ending up with four wickets, turned the game in Bangladesh's favour against the run of play.

'BANGLADESH NEVER HAD SOMEONE LIKE RANA'

"But the bowler they found in Nahid Rana, I think he'll go very far for Bangladesh. It would not be a mistake to say that for the first time in Bangladesh's history, they have a bowler like Rana.

Before the series, Rana had played only one Test, making his debut in March this year against Sri Lanka in Sylhet. And during the just-concluded series, the 21-year-old consistently clocked speeds of over 150 km/h. His bounce and pace proved challenging for experienced players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who struggled to handle the deliveries from the six feet three inches tall pacer from Rajshahi.

"With so much consistency, combining pace with his height, I don't recall any Bangladesh bowler operating the way he did.

"His future looks very bright. If he doesn't get injured and takes care of his fitness, not only will he play for a long time for Bangladesh, but the team will also show improved performance in Test cricket."