Finally, Babar XI’s defeat in the World Cup led to Shaan Masood’s victory. The silent battle between the PCB and a group of cricketers began at the beginning of the year, and the battle was not so silent.
After the whitewash in the home series by England last year, the discussion of Babar Azam’s removal from the captaincy started, and some cricketers tweeted with the hashtag ‘thinking is forbidden‘.
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi wrote that Babar Azam is our captain and will remain, it is forbidden to think of anything else. At the time, Chairman PCB Najam Sethi appointed Shaan Masood as the vice-captain of the one-team for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in January, but Babar Azam and the team management dropped him in the final XI for the first two ODIs. Seated in the dressing room instead of being included.
Shaan Masood was subjected to unnecessary pressure
The rift between the board and Babar Azam put Shan Masood under unnecessary pressure. He was Pakistan’s most successful batsman in the 2022 T20 World Cup with an average of 43.75.
Shaan Masood was a part of the Test team against Sri Lanka this year, after the Pakistan team’s disappointing performance in the World Cup, Babar Azam stepped down from the leadership of all three formats, so the PCB appointed him as the Test team captain.
Why Shaan Masood? Who is not aware of the differences between Najam Sethi and Zaka Ashraf in Pakistan cricket, but on the issue of Shaan Masood, both appeared on the same page.
Why did you insist on making 34-year-old Shaan Masood the captain?
The question is why the Pakistan cricket establishment insisted on making the 34-year-old Shaan Masood, who was born in Kuwait, the captain.
In fact, along with batting, speaking English fluently and confidently is an added skill of Shaan Masood.
They face the media with confidence and are adept at answering tough questions with a smile. Before Shan Masood, Salman Butt and Misbah-ul-Haq’s command of English played a major role in their appointment as captains, otherwise there were more experienced players available in the team even then.
Misbah-ul-Haq’s additional attributes were his MBA degree and his easy-going nature. After the spot-fixing scandal of 2010, the board believed that the captain of the team should be an educated person, so for the next 6 years, Misbah-ul-Haq remained the captain even though he was not only out of the team after the failed tour of Australia in 2010. Rather, the career was also endangered.
Cricket or studies? Like Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Javed Barki, Imran Khan and Rameez Raja, Shaan Masood also has a strong family background. Shaan Masood’s father Mansoor Masood Khan was a successful banker and member of the PCB governing board.
Speaking English with fluency and confidence along with batting is an added strength of Shaun Masood. Advisor Aal Waqar Masood Khan his uncle. Mansoor Masood Khan is a fan of cricket. He is playing Pakistan team matches by going to India, New Zealand, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.
In an interview with Khaleej Times, Mansoor Masood Khan said that many talented players are unable to continue cricket because of education.
We placed him in a boarding school in the UK where he excelled as a sportsman, was a very good student, and always got good grades.
The very first Test, the difficult tour of Australia, has always been challenging for Pakistani cricketers. Big names like Imran Khan and Javed Miandad also failed to win the Test series in Australia.
Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Azhar Ali led the team whitewash. Pakistan last won a Test match on Australian soil in November 1995 but lost the series that time as well.
Australia won all the last fourteen Test matches played in Australia which is proof of Pakistan’s disappointing performance.
On Wednesday, Babar Azam announced his resignation from the captaincy of the Pakistan team in all three formats. Will Shaun Masood win a Test match in Australia after 28 years and break the streak of consecutive failures? This is the first and biggest challenge for him as a captain.
Shaan Masood as a batsman If we talk about statistics, even after playing 30 Test matches, Shaan Masood’s batting average is only 28.51. He has scored four centuries and seven half-centuries.
Lack of consistency in his performance has been the main reason for his exit from the team. It is Shaan Masood’s good fortune that he not only regains the trust of the selectors every time by performing well in domestic cricket but this time PCB has also given him the captaincy crown.
Shaan Masood will have to prove himself not only as a captain but also as a batsman. He will have to contend with Mitchell Starc, Pete Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood on Australia’s bouncy pitches. This series is part of the World Test Championship so every match is important.
Under the leadership of Babar Azam, the Pakistani team finished seventh in the 2021-2023 championship. Will Shaan Masood take the team from the seventh position to the top three teams?
