Tag: Shan Masood

MULTAN: Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood explained the reasons behind the exclusion of veteran pace bowler Mohammad Abbas from the squad for the two-match series against West Indies here on Thursday.

Mohammad Abbas returned to international cricket after a three-year hiatus during the Test series against South Africa in December 2024. He took ten wickets in two games, including a six-wicket in the first Test.

However, he was excluded from the team for the home Test series against West Indies, which is scheduled to commence tomorrow.

Shan Masood, during the pre-match press conference, revealed that the decision to drop Abbas was made considering the conditions in Multan.

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“Your squad is never just 15 players; your roster is usually made up of 20 players. If you look at the squad we announced for the camp before the Australia tour, which was my first assignment, you will see that there have been a few additions since then,” Masood explained.

“Abbas was part of the squad because we felt that the conditions in South Africa would suit him, making him the number one bowler for the Pakistan team,” he added.

“Now, the conditions have changed here and we need to consider the number of players in the squad. We need to see what type of fast bowler we need,” the Pakistan captain concluded.

Notably, Pakistan and West Indies will square off in the first Test from January 17 to January 21 in Multan, while the second match will commence on January 25 at the same venue.

Pakistan squad for the West Indies Tests

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, and Salman Ali Agha.

READ: Nasser Hussain names THIS Pakistan batter as future ‘Fab Four’ contender

Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood has been under fire lately after the team’s white-wash defeat in the two-match away series against South Africa.

Shan, who was appointed as Test captain in November 2023 after Babar Azam’s resignation, has led Pakistan in 10 Test matches so far.

He brought a glimmer of hope for all the desperate cricket lovers as the Pakistan team’s performance in the ODI World Cup 2023 was as hard as a nail to digest.

With nothing worth looking back to, all hopes and expectations were tied to Shan’s appointment as red-ball team captain.

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Unfortunately, as Shan’s first year of captaincy came to an end, things didn’t unfold in the best possible manner for the new skipper.

Under his captaincy, Pakistan test team hit rock bottom by losing their first ever test match and series against Bangladesh.

Moreover, his first stint as Pakistan test team captain was also a failure when Pakistan lost 0-3 to Australia in December 2023.

The skipper took a sigh of relief after the team secured their 1st victory under his captaincy against England in October 2024. The victory, although important, couldn’t overturn the impact of the losses that had come before it.

Shan Masood’s Test captaincy record

Since Shan Masood’s appointment as skipper of the Pakistan team in the red-ball format, the Men in Green have played 10 test matches. 

Three of those ten matches were played against Australia on their home ground, two against Bangladesh on Pakistani soil, three against England again on Pakistan’s home ground, and the last two against South Africa on their home soil. 

Shan Masood and co. have only managed to win two out of the total ten test matches that they have played in this year.  Their only two victories came against England after they’d lost the first match of the series. 

Here’s a tabular summary of the Pakistan test team’s performance from December 2023 to this day:

Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win%	Loss%
10	2	0	8	20%	80%

Let’s dissect these matches further and take a look at the winning margins to better understand what went wrong with the Men in Green. 

Opponent	Dates	Result
Australia	December 14 – December 17, 2023	Australia secured victory by 360 runs.
Australia	December 26 – December 29, 2023	Australia triumphed by 79 runs.
Australia	January 03 – January 06, 2024	Australia won convincingly by 8 wickets.
Bangladesh	August 21 – August 25, 2024	Bangladesh achieved a remarkable 10-wicket win.
Bangladesh	August 30 – September 3, 2024	Bangladesh prevailed by 6 wickets.
England	October 7 – October 11, 2024	England won by an innings and 47 runs.
England	October 15 – October 18, 2024	Pakistan claimed victory by 152 runs.
England	October 24 – October 26, 2024	Pakistan dominated with a 9-wicket win.
South Africa	December 26th – December 29th, 2024	South Africa won by a narrow margin of 2 wickets.
South Africa	January 3rd – January 6th, 2025	South Africa thrashed Pakistan by 10 wickets.

Safe to say, Shan Masood’s captaincy tenure hasn’t brought much luck or results for the Pakistan team. However, it’s important to note that team losses can’t entirely be blamed on the captain as multiple factors play a role in it.

Shan’s individual performance as captain

The 35-year-old batsman was a consistent part of the Pakistan test team even before he took up captaincy. His consistency and ability to stay on the crease have made him an indispensable asset for the team.

Let’s take a closer look at Shan’s individual performance ever since he became the Pakistan team’s skipper. 

MATCHES PLAYED	OPPONENT	RUNS SCORED
3	Australia	181
2	Bangladesh	105
3	England	225
2	South Africa	192

The skipper managed to score two centuries in his ten games and became the 17th Pakistan captain to score a hundred in the red-ball format. His run tally for the year is 703 runs. As of January 2025, Shan Masood has amassed 2300 test runs. 

With the Pakistan vs West Indies Test series just a week away, will the skipper be able to turn things around for himself and the team?

READ: PCB announces ticket prices for Pakistan-West Indies Tests

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood was relieved with back-to-back victories that sealed the three-match series against England 2-1 despite being humbled in the opening fixture by an innings and 47 runs.

Pakistan’s decision to make four massive changes after the first Test thrashing paid off as their spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, coming in as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah’s replacement, gave a new life to the struggling hosts.

The spin duo claimed 39 out of 40 England wickets to fall in the remaining two Tests, coupled with handy and timely cameos to further traumatize the touring side.

“Like London buses they come together,” said Shan on Pakistan’s back-to-back victories.

“The first win came after a long time and it was backed up by a series win. It’s special,” he added.

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Shan Masood lauded Player of the Series Sajid Khan for showing ‘character’, mainly referring to his blood-shedding injury, which he sustained during his 48-run cameo in Pakistan’s second innings on Friday.

“For everyone to stand up and give their best means a lot,” said Shan.

“It is about characters, people you can trust, people you think can bleed for you – Sajid literally bled for us yesterday.

“To be here and standing as the winning team is the most special thing for us.”

England had a flying start to the three-match series as they blew Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs in the opening fixture before the home side scripted an astounding comeback with a 152-run victory in the second Test, followed by a series-clinching nine-wicket victory in the decider.

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MULTAN: Pakistan red-ball captain Shan Masood has opened up on the team’s strategy that steered them to a dominant victory over England in the recently concluded second Test here on Friday.

The Shan Masood-led team defeated England by 152 runs to level the three-match series and claim their first Test victory at home since February 2021.

Pakistan made four changes in their Playing XI for the second Test after the crushing loss in the first match.

Kamran Ghulam made his long-awaited debut, replacing out-of-form Babar Azam. Meanwhile, spin bowlers Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed.

Shan Masood, during the post-match press conference, shared the reason behind going with three spin bowlers.

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“When the new selection committee came, we all sat together and our only concern was about taking 20 wickets,” Shan stated.

“Looking at the conditions, we felt that if we played on a used pitch and gave the spinners the advantage, we had a chance.”

The Pakistan captain appreciated spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan for taking the advantage of conditions and steering the team to victory.

“Credit goes to Noman and Sajid for their comeback – it looked like two seasoned campaigners bowling for Pakistan,” he added.

It’s worth noting that Noman and Sajid took eleven and nine wickets respectively, becoming only the second Pakistani pair to share 20 wickets in a Test match.

READ: Pakistan captain lauds Kamran Ghulam for handling pressure of replacing Babar Azam

Pakistan red-ball captain Shan Masood has heaped high praise on middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam for handling the pressure of replacing star batter Babar Azam in the second Test against England.

The Shan Masood-led team defeated England by 152 runs to level the three-match series and claim their first Test victory at home since February 2021.

Pakistan made four changes in their Playing XI for the second Test after the crushing loss in the first match where they lost by an innings and 47 runs.

Kamran made his long-awaited debut, replacing out-of-form Babar. Meanwhile, spin bowlers Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed.

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The right-hander made an immediate impact, becoming the 13th player from Pakistan to score a hundred on debut.

Shan Masood highlighted the pressure which Kamran faced ahead of his debut Test and appreciated the batter for his performance.

“I think for Kami (Kamran Ghulam), it’s never easy when you’re replacing one of the best batters in the world,” said the Pakistan captain.

“I read some things that were horrid even before he played his first Test match, so I can’t even imagine the pressure someone can be under, but we were all behind him. From the get-go, he seemed like he belonged. To get that century, that was special.”

READ: Noman Ali and Sajid Khan become the first pair to achieve THIS feat since 1972

MULTAN: Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has opened up about the reasons behind his team’s humiliating defeat in the first Test against England here on Friday.

The home team suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 47 runs, becoming the first team to be defeated by an innings after scoring more than 500 runs in one of the innings.

The stunning loss extended Pakistan’s losing streak to six consecutive Test matches under Shan Masood.

During the post-match press conference, the Pakistan captain acknowledged the inability of his bowlers to take 20 wickets in the recent games.

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“It is quite evident that we are not able to take 20 wickets. We need to find a process to stay in the game and give ourselves a proper chance of winning a Test match,” said Shan.

He also shared that the pitch in the Multan Stadium did not play out as the home team expected.

“We cannot control the behaviour of a pitch. We were expecting this pitch to get better for bowling after day two,” he stated.

It’s worth noting that during the first innings, Shan Masood led from the front with a brilliant 151-run knock, steering his side to a mammoth 556, however, in the second innings he managed only 11.

READ: ‘This is only our 3rd Test’: Pakistan head coach calls for patience after England loss

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has defended star batter Babar Azam despite his below-par performance after the first Test against England in Multan on Friday.

The home team suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 47 runs, becoming the first team to be defeated by an innings after scoring more than 500 runs in one of the innings.

Shan Masood played a brilliant 151-run knock in the first innings, steering his side to a mammoth 556, however, in the second innings he managed only 11. Meanwhile, Babar returned with scores of 30 and 5 in the Multan Test.

While addressing the post-match press conference, the Pakistan captain expressed his faith in Babar, calling him the best batter in the team.

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“There is no doubt that Babar Azam is Pakistan’s best batter. We need to give him some time and think that he’s just one innings away from a comeback,” he stated.

It’s worth noting that Babar has been under tight scrutiny due to his below-par performances recently.

He crashed out of the top ten list in the ICC Test Batting Rankings last month after a forgettable home series against Bangladesh, where he managed 64 runs in four innings. His bad form continued in the first Test against England, extending his string of low scores.

He last crossed the 50-run mark in red-ball cricket back in December 2022 against New Zealand with a marathon 161-run knock. Since then, he has played 16 innings with a highest score of 39 against Sri Lanka in July 2023.

READ: PCB adds Aleem Dar to new selection committee

MULTAN: Pakistan captain Shan Masood has expressed determination to end his side’s 10-match winless streak at home when they face England in the first Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium here on Monday.

Pakistan’s last Test victory on home soil came against South Africa in Rawalpindi in February 2021. Since then, Pakistan has endured a dry spell, losing six matches and drawing four – their longest winless run since earning Test status in 1952.

Since that 2021 victory, Pakistan has played 23 Tests overall, securing just eight wins – two each against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, three against Sri Lanka, and one against the West Indies.

They’ve suffered 11 defeats, including four to Australia, one each to Sri Lanka and the West Indies, three to England and two to Bangladesh. The remaining four Tests, all drawn, were against Australia and New Zealand.

Shan Masood arrived in Multan with a troubling record of five consecutive losses as skipper. Similarly, red-ball coach Jason Gillespie has yet to taste success as during his first series Bangladesh claimed a historic 2-0 victory, ending Pakistan’s chances of reaching the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s in June 2025.

However, the Pakistan team is now focused on putting the past behind them, determined to show resilience and pride, not just for themselves but for their passionate fans and stakeholders.

Following the Bangladesh series, Pakistan players, like the England side that played an eight-match white-ball series against Australia, participated in the Champions One-Day Cup in Faisalabad, gaining valuable match practice.

The squad then gathered in Multan on 1 October for a five-day camp to acclimatize to local conditions.

When these two sides last met at the Multan Cricket Stadium, England secured a hard-fought 26-run victory.

But Pakistan can take positives from that game – England will be without key pacers James Anderson (retired), Ollie Robinson (not selected), and Mark Wood (injured), while captain Ben Stokes is still recovering from a hamstring injury.

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Abrar Ahmed had a standout performance in that match, claiming 11 wickets, while Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel impressed with the bat.

Captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie have been candid about the need to leave poor results behind and begin Pakistan’s resurgence as a top cricketing nation.

“We have a huge opportunity to turn things around against England, and we’re looking to make a strong start in Multan,” Masood said earlier in the week. “The team is excited, and we’re hoping for memorable results.”

“I assure you, everyone is eager for a comeback and to take Pakistan cricket in the right direction. Pressure is a privilege – leading your country is an honour, but it also comes with responsibility.

“If the results are good, I’ll stay on, and if not, I’ll face the consequences. I don’t shy away from challenges, and this upcoming series is definitely one of them.”

Gillespie echoed similar sentiments during his appearance on the PCB Podcast earlier this week.

“Facing a team like England is exciting. Playing on home soil is a great opportunity, and we believe we match up well against them, though they’re a strong side,” he said

“Our focus will be on disciplined, consistent Test cricket. If we stick to our plans and remain patient, the results will come.

“Our players love representing Pakistan in Test cricket and take immense pride in inspiring our supporters. We’re ready for this challenge.

“We know England’s evolved their game, but we’ll play our way – disciplined and strategic. When opportunities arise, we’ll seize them.

“People are writing us off, and that’s fine – it just motivates the boys even more. We’ll give our best, and hopefully, the results will follow.”

READ: Aamir Jamal returns as Pakistan unveil Playing XI for first England Test

Former England cricketer and commentator David Lloyd has raised questions over the leadership capabilities of Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood, drawing parallels with legendary captains such as Imran Khan.

During an interview with a local sports platform, Lloyd opened up about Shan’s captaincy and shared his doubts about the leadership potential of the Pakistan captain.

“Shan Masood is a really nice guy but he is a reactive captain, not a proactive captain,” Lloyd stated.

“I think you’ve got to have a bit of an edge to you like [Pakistan’s former captains] Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. And Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram or Misbah-ul-Haq.

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“Now I’m not sure if Shan Masood has got that because I have seen his captaincy for Yorkshire. And I think he is a little bit behind the pace.”

Llyod emphasized the challenge posed the Ben Stokes-led England, which plays the aggressive style of cricket. He suggested that it is important for Shan to be proactive in order to effectively deal with the threat posed by the Bazball style of play.

“Playing against Bazball you have to be proactive because Stokes would try to push them back and you should be proactive,” he added.

It’s worth noting that the upcoming three-match Test series against England will be Shan Masood’s third assignment as Pakistan captain. In his last two series, Pakistan suffered heavy defeats, being whitewashed by Australia and Bangladesh.

READ: ‘He is never out of form’: England batter calls Babar Azam a major threat

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood threw his weight behind the players ahead of a “crucial” three-match Test series against England, scheduled to commence on October 7.

Masood, while addressing a press conference just days before the first home Test against England, reflected on his side’s performances in the recent outings particularly the recent two-match home series against Bangladesh, during which the touring party made history by clinching their first-ever Test series win over Pakistan.

“The losses hurt, but it’s important to support the team, especially during tough times,” Masood said.

The Pakistan captain, however, emphasized the need to back the players, especially after losses, terming it essential for long-term success.

“It’s easy to make changes after a loss, but if we want to move forward, we must back our players,” Masood stated.

The left-handed batter also shared that the preparations for the recently concluded Champions One-Day Cup provided valuable insights into the players’ fitness level.

“We’ve learned a lot about our physical and mental condition, and it’s clear that improvements are needed,” stated Masood.

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“If Pakistan want to become a top Test side, we need to significantly improve both physical and mental fitness. Our conditioning should be on par with other top teams in the world,” he added.

Shan Masood, who assumed Pakistan’s Test captaincy in November 2023, is yet to win a match as the skipper, shared it feels “terrible” when the team loses.

“As a captain, it feels terrible when the team loses. It wasn’t the ideal start, but accountability comes with defeat,” Masood stated.

Pakistan squad for first Test against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mehmood.