Former fast bowler Mohammad Aamir has said that the men’s Pakistan national cricket team is close to losing its status as a full-time cricket playing nation as their performance graph has fallen so low that they are losing even to Bangladesh.
Aamir’s criticism came just after the first ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan (BAN vs PAK) on March 11, when the host team Bangladesh thrashed the opposition brutally in Dhaka. In the first match of the 3-match ODI series, Bangladesh easily won by 8 wickets in 15.1 overs.
Bangladesh defeated Pakistan badly in the first match of the three-match ODI series in Dhaka.
Despite the inclusion of some new talent in the line-up, the Shaheen Afridi-led side suffered a batting collapse. After losing the toss and coming to bat first, the Men in Green Brigade could score only 114 runs for 10 wickets in 30.4 overs; One of the most embarrassing performances by the team in this format. Bangladesh did not have to work hard to win the match.
First, the disappointing performance in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, now the cricket experts have vented their anger on the team after being bundled out for just 114 runs in a 50-over match. Among the critics, Mohammad Aamir went one step further and said that in future the team can be transformed into an associate team.
Mohammad Aamir made big prediction after BAN vs PAK 1st ODI match
Mohammad Amir said, “We have started losing to Bangladesh. I fear we may even become an associate team.”
What are the current partner teams around the world? Lower ranked teams like Scotland, Netherlands, Nepal, UAE, USA, Namibia, Canada and Oman are some of the prominent names among the associate teams that frequently participate in various ICC events and regional tournaments.
As per the latest ICC rankings, the Men in Green are ranked sixth in the T20I rankings. In ODI, Pakistan is at number four, while Bangladesh is at number 10. That means, yesterday the fourth ranked ODI team Pakistan was defeated by the 10th ranked ODI team.
In the current series, it is necessary for the team to win back-to-back matches.
To prove Mohammad Amir wrong and prove their skills and credibility, the Shaheen Afridi-led team will have to try to win both the remaining matches of the series against Bangladesh.
The second match of the competition will be held on 13 March, and the remaining matches will take place on 15 March. If Bangladesh manages to win the March 13 game, they will be the winners of the competition, making the third game simply a battle of prestige.
After losing the first match, Afridi himself has vowed to make a comeback in the remaining matches, taking lessons from the first ODI. He praised Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana for his brilliant spell.
“Yes, I think we got off to a good start when Nahid Rana came in. So I think he bowled really well. And yes, we didn’t get the start we wanted in the first game, but there are still two games left and as a team we are ready for that,” the Pakistani captain said.
Read more: “Bullet should have killed them…”: Basit Ali’s shocking comment as Pakistan loses to Bangladesh
