Naseem Shah's ruthless response to 'bulging belly' criticism after defeat: 'A 21-year-old can't be expected to have perfect fitness'

Questions are being raised about Naseem Shah, the Pakistan fast bowler, following his underwhelming performance against Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Naseem managed to take only 3 wickets for 93 runs in Bangladesh's first innings, while the visitors went on to score 565 in response to Pakistan's 448/6, giving them a crucial lead of 117. This ultimately set the stage for Bangladesh's historic first-ever Test victory over Pakistan, leading them to a 1-0 series lead with a convincing 10-wicket win. The entire Pakistan team, including the captain and coach, has faced criticism for losing to Bangladesh for the first time in 21 years, with Naseem also coming under scrutiny, with his pictures circulating for all the wrong reasons.

Pointing fingers at Naseem's fitness, the internet spotted a 'bulging belly' on the Pakistan pacer and found it tough to believe that such is the fitness of a 21-year-old. In a picture that has flooded the internet, Naseem's gut is visible as he is celebrating a wicket with his teammates. This is Naseem's first Test match for Pakistan in over a year – he last played against Sri Lanka in July of 2023 – as the pacer was nursing an injury.

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Naseem's outing didn't warrant criticism as such, for the pitch on which the opener was played, had nothing in it for pacers. For far too long, PCB has copped flak for preparing unsporting wickets, on which there is absolutely no assistance or purchase for bowlers. Which is why Bangladesh's second innings with the ball, where they bowled Pakistan out for 146 can be called nothing short of an herculean effort. Mehidy Hasan picked 4/21 and Shakib 3/44 as Pakistan set Bangladesh a meagre target of 30.

Naseem didn't hold back

Naseem made his frustrations clear when at stumps on Day 4, he did not mince words about the placid nature of the pitch. Once or twice is understandable, but Naseem reckons one can't get away with such 'highways' in the name of home advantage. The conditions were far from idea for Naseem, who was hoping for a much better deck to bowl on for his return to Test cricket. Add to that the hot and humid conditions with temperatures shooting up to beyond 40 degrees and there wasn't much room for respite anyway.

"If we're incapable of making the sort of pitches that help fast bowlers, then we should look at whether we can produce spin wickets. However you do it, you need to use home advantage. People come to enjoy Test cricket in this heat, so you need to entertain them. What shouldn't happen is you're on the field at home and thinking this is hard work. The more you keep cricket entertaining, the better. It's something we need to seriously think about," he had said.

"I'm playing a Test after more than a year and took me time to find my rhythm. The kind of weather we have right now, it's extremely hot, and we didn't get the kind of help from the surface as a bowling unit as we expected.

The result adds to the long list of unsatisfactory outcomes for Pakistan in the last three-odd years. They have lost a Test series to Australia and England at home, and now with a defeat to Bangladesh by 10 wickets, have slipped to 8th in the World Test Championship rankings.

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