Ahead of the final Test of the three-match series starting January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Pakistan’s red-ball captain Shan Masood opened up.
Pakistan’s fielding during the tour was very poor as some dropped catches cost them the match and Shaun was not unaware of this. The 34-year-old shared his two cents on his team’s fielding, particularly the slips.
In a game, your hands are tied because the slips are so expert. Many fielding locations in Test cricket are very special. We had four real fast bowlers, so it was difficult to get them into the slips. And then Abdullah Shafiq has been a good slipsman for us and these are the guys who practice for hours every day,” Masood said.
Masood also revealed that he could use Babar Azam at slips as the 29-year-old had done decently in the position earlier.
“He is a brilliant slip fielder. He is also older. But I think Babar is a decent first slipper if he doesn’t feel comfortable,” he added.
The newly appointed red-ball captain also weighed in on Babar Azam’s form as the right-handed batsman failed to deliver success for his team, saying that Babar Azam is Pakistan’s key player and there are no worries about him.
Babar Azam is our key player
Masood said, “Babar Azam is our key player. We are not worried about his performance. His outlook is positive. He has been practicing for hours at the nets and his fitness is very good. I am looking forward to seeing him in the Sydney Test.” Looking forward to a big score”.
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has been rested for the third Test as spinner Sajid Khan will take over his pace, with Shane revealing that the reason the left-hander was rested was because he had bowled too much in recent times. And management wanted to monitor their workload.
“Shahin Afridi has bowled the most overs in world cricket in recent times. He gives his 150 per cent in training sessions as well. He keeps motivating his teammates. He is our key player. Let’s make sure that.” “We will take good care of Shaheen Afridi,” concluded Masood.
