Pakistan captain Shan Masood was left to rue old mistakes after his side were dealt a crushing 0-2 loss at home by Bangladesh. The hosts had assumed a semblance of control in each of the two Rawalpindi Tests before allowing the opposition back into the contest. As bizarre as this may sound, Pakistan captain Shan Masood, after losing the second Test and the series to Bangladesh said they were “on the right track.”
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood did not want to give any excuses for the humiliating whitewash against Bangladesh on home soil but said the team was on the right track. As bizarre as this may sound, Shan Masood, after losing the second and final Test to Bangladesh in Rawalpindi – the second Test defeat in less than two weeks – said they were “on the right track” as far team selection was concerned.
Pakistan disastrous performance in 2 match test series vs Bangladesh
In the first Test, Pakistan’s decision to declare their first innings at 448 for 6 backfired as Bangladesh amassed 565 before bowling their hosts out cheaply the second time around to power a 10-wicket win. In the second Test, the visitors were reeling at 26 for 6 in their first innings but recovered superbly through a 165-run seventh-wicket stand between Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to turn the tables on Pakistan.
Shan Masood and the Pakistan team management were heavily criticized for going into the first Test with a four-pronged pace attack on a pitch that offered little to the fast bowlers. On the other hand, the Bangladesh spinners wreaked havoc in the second innings, scripting a historic first-ever Test win against Pakistan.
Pakistan took drastic measures in the second Test. They went with a pitch that had grass on it but dropped their lead seamers, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, from the XI. The pace set-up of Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad worked wonders in the first innings but then faded.
Looking at the disastrous result, Pakistan skipper Shan Masood blames lack of red-ball experience hurting Pakistan’s test fortunes.
Pakistan skipper Shan Masood blames lack of red-ball experience hurting Pakistan’s Test fortunes after 2-0 series loss to Bangladesh
Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood feels that the team is paying the price for not playing regular red-ball cricket. Batting for more red-ball games for current and upcoming players, he cheekily commented that one cannot prepare for a science exam and sit for a maths paper. Under Masood, Pakistan suffered a 2-0 loss to Bangladesh at home in a two-match Test series that concluded on Tuesday, September 3. Before this series, Pakistan had never lost a Test match to Bangladesh.
While reflecting on the hosts’ disappointing performance in the two-match Test series, Masood praised Bangladesh and said that Pakistan need to play more red-ball cricket to improve their performance in the format. He said (as quoted by ESPNCricinfo):
“Bangladesh have two players who have played 70-90 Tests (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman), and Litton [Das] and Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] have played close to 40. We need the same level of red-ball exposure. Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. You need experience. It’s obvious we need more Test and red-ball cricket.
“Whatever format you play is the format for which you’ll produce players. You can’t play more T20 cricket and get Test players. You can’t prepare for science and then sit for a maths exam. If you’re being tested for maths, you study maths. To play red-ball cricket, you must play red-ball cricket,” the Pakistan captain went on to add.
Before the 2-0 loss to Bangladesh at home, Shan Masood-led Pakistan were thumped 3-0 in a Test series in Australia. Their performances in Test cricket have been constantly under the scanner.
Skipper Shan Masood is not worried about his own performances
While Pakistan have failed to perform as a team under Shan Masood, the Test skipper’s own efforts with the willow have left a lot to be desired. He managed only 105 runs in four innings at an average of 26.25 against Bangladesh. In the series in Australia as well, his batting performances were pretty average. Speaking about the same, the 34-year-old said:
“I am not worried for my job security. I took this job to make the changes we believe will help this team. If I believe this team can go in a certain direction, even if my personal failure takes Pakistan to that direction, I will be content. However much time I get, I’ll be grateful for and do my best.”
Having played 35 Tests, Shan Masood has scored 1883 runs at an average of 28.53, with four hundreds and 10 fifties.