Pakistan, Bangladesh spar over ‘unacceptable pitch’ for 1st T20I in Dhaka: ‘Not up to international standards’

Pakistan coach Mike Hesson didn't mince words as he lambasted the Dhaka pitch for the first T20I against Bangladesh.

Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh did not get off to an ideal start on Sunday as the visitors faced a seven-wicket defeat in the first T20I of the three-match series. The hosts did not break a sweat in chasing down the target of 111 as they got over the line with seven wickets in hand and 27 balls to spare. However, after the defeat, Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson pinned the blame on the 22 yards used for the contest, saying the pitch was "unacceptable" for international standards.

Pakistan coach Mike Hesson didn't mince words as he lambasted the Dhaka pitch (AFP)

In the first T20I, Pakistan batted first, managing just 110 runs in 19.3 overs. The visitors were unable to play their full quota of 20 overs, and only opening batter Fakhar Zaman got going with the bat, scoring 44 runs. For Bangladesh, pacer Taskin Ahmed returned with three wickets.

Mike Hesson admitted that his batters failed to read the pitch conditions properly, but he branded the surface"unacceptable" for international cricket.

"I think the pitch is not ideal for anybody. Teams are trying to prepare for the Asia Cup or the T20 World Cup. It is not acceptable. It is still no excuse for some of the decisions we made with the bat. But this pitch is not up to international standards," Hesson told reporters after the first T20I.

"You need good cricket wickets to develop cricketers. There was some good wickets during the BPL, to be fair. It is not up to the standard when international cricket is being played. I don't think it helps them when they leave Bangladesh. But I think also batting first in these situations is challenging. When you aren't quite sure whether 100 or 130 or 150 is good enough. I don't think the pitch is good for anybody. It still doesn't take away the fact that you have to perform better in any surface. We will look at it as a team," he added.

At one stage in the opening T20, Pakistan slipped to 46/5 with most of their batters losing their wickets in trying to go for big shots. Pakistan's cause was further hampered by three run-outs.

Bangladesh disagree

On the other hand, Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon disagreed with Hesson's assessment of the pitch, saying it was not a "bad surface" at all. He said his side adjusted better than the Pakistan team, and there was never a case of the pitch having too many tricks up its sleeve.

"We didn't feel it was a bad pitch as we chased it down in less than 16 overs. We could have scored 150-160 runs if we batted the full 20 overs. It may be so that they couldn't adjust to the pitch. We adjusted better than them. The Dhaka pitch usually benefits the bowlers. We tried to assess the wicket quickly. It was our first plan," he said.

Both teams will now play the second T20I on Tuesday, July 22, at the same venue in Dhaka.