Bangladesh vs Pakistan

BPL pitch was better than current Mirpur surface, says Faheem Ashraf

Online Desk

5 hrs ago

Faheem Ashraf in action, Cricfrenzy

Faheem Ashraf, who last featured in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Fortune Barishal alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, returned to Bangladesh for the T20I series — but this time without Afridi, who is not part of the tour.

In the second T20I against Bangladesh, Pakistan suffered a dramatic collapse, losing five wickets for just 15 runs.

Faheem's fifer helps Barishal to secure play-off spot

26 Jan 25

From that position, Faheem staged a remarkable fightback, scoring a valiant 51 off 32 balls. However, his efforts fell just short, as he was dismissed with the team score on 121 while chasing 134. The lower-order batters couldn’t finish the job, and Pakistan fell to an 8-run defeat.

After the match, Faheem openly criticized the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium pitch, pointing out the stark difference between the current conditions and those during his BPL stint. Speaking at the post-match press conference, he said,

"There's a clear difference between the BPL pitch and what we saw today. The BPL is held in December-January when the weather is cooler. Right now, with the heat, the pitch plays completely differently. Back then, there wasn’t much spin or grip. But now, it seems hard on top but soft underneath."

ACC AGM still set for Dhaka despite India-led boycott

3 hrs ago

Currently, Bangladesh is experiencing its monsoon season, with frequent rain showers in Dhaka. Although the second T20I wasn’t affected by rain, there was a downpour prior to the match.

According to Faheem, Pakistan’s team was informed by the ground staff that the pitch could not be fully prepared due to rain.

He added, “The groundstaff told us that the pitch couldn’t be properly prepared because of the rain. Compared to the BPL, this pitch is very different. I’ve played in the BPL before and again this year — those pitches were much better than this.”