Criticism for Pakistani Bowlers Who Dismissed Morne Morkel: Shaheen Afridi and Team Under Fire

Former South African paceman Morne Morkel has recently joined the coaching staff of the Indian cricket team and his impact was immediately felt in the first Test against Bangladesh. The Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, put on a stellar performance under Morkel's guidance, dismantling the Bangladesh batting line-up. Bumrah shone in the first innings with a four-wicket haul, while Ravichandran Ashwin took a six-wicket haul in the second innings. Morkel was all smiles as he witnessed the Indian bowlers dominating the opposition in Chennai.

Morkel also had a brief stint with the Pakistan team. He joined them as a bowling coach last year in June but cut ties with them after their group-stage exit from the ODI World Cup 2024. Under his guidance, the Pakistan bowlers failed to produce the desired results in the mega ICC event in India, and he parted ways with the team with six weeks left in his contract.

Former cricketer Basit Ali lashed out at the Pakistan bowling unit and blamed them for belittling Morkel when he was coach of the side.

"The Pakistani bowlers consider themselves to be bigger than cricket. They thought that Morkel was nothing in front of us," Basit said on his YouTube channel.

He further asserted that there is a massive difference between the mindsets of Indian and Pakistani players, which can be seen in their recent performances against Bangladesh, which have the same opposition.

"We got to know the difference. This is the same Bangladesh played against Pakistan, where it seemed as if Pakistan were completely on the back foot. This is the same Bangladesh that whitewashed Pakistan. The difference is of mindset, thinking and class," he added.

India sealed the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai with more than a day's play to spare. The effortless 280-run triumph was a blend of an all-round performance from each player featuring in a star-studded line-up.

In the first innings, the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (4/50), Mohammed Siraj (2/30), and Akash Deep (2/19) outmanoeuvred Bangladesh batters, forcing them to fold up on 149. Ravichandran Ashwin (6/88) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/58) spun their web in the second innings to wrap up Bangladesh's batting line-up.