THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Cricket has witnessed collapses, but what Pakistan served up in May 2026 was something else entirely — an embarrassment. Bangladesh didn’t just beat Pakistan in a 2-Test series. They dismantled them, humiliated them, and sent them home with their tails firmly between their legs.
In the first Test in Dhaka, Pakistan’s batters crumbled like amateurs against a fired-up Bangladesh attack. Nahid Rana tore through their lineup like a hot knife through butter — 5 wickets for 40 runs, removing Masood, Shakeel, and Rizwan in one devastating spell. Pakistan, a nation that once prided itself on producing fearsome fast bowlers and gritty batters, were skittled for a pathetic 163. Beaten by 104 runs. On Bangladesh’s home soil. For the first time ever.
If the first Test was a beating, the second in Sylhet was a funeral. Litton Das smashed 126, Mushfiqur Rahim piled on 137, and Bangladesh set Pakistan a mountain to climb — 437 runs. Pakistan never looked capable. Their top order folded under pressure, and despite Rizwan’s gutsy 94, Taijul Islam ran through them with 6 wickets, sealing a 78-run win and a 2-0 series sweep.
And then there was the theatre. Rizwan, trying desperately to save a lost cause, was taken apart verbally by Litton Das behind the stumps. The stump mic caught everything — Litton mocking him in Urdu, telling him his “acting has started now he’s hit fifty.” Bangladesh captain Shanto piled on too. Pakistan couldn’t even win the sledging battle.
This wasn’t just a defeat for Pakistan. It was their third consecutive series loss to Bangladesh, following the 2024 away humiliation. A side that was once South Asia’s dominant force is now being regularly outclassed by a team they once considered a pushover. For Bangladesh, this is the dawn of a new era. For Pakistan, it is a crisis — and one entirely of their own making.
