PAK vs AUS: "Shan Masood Is Made Pakistan's Captain Because Of His English.."- Former Pakistan Cricketer

Former Pakistan cricketer Mudassar Nazar has criticized the performance of Pakistan’s former Test skipper Babar Azam and the captaincy appointment of Shan Masood. In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Nazar talked about the dichotomy in Babar Azam’s performance across different formats of the sport. Despite acknowledging Babar’s brilliance as a Test batsman, Nazar noted a contrasting difference in his approach.

Babar Azam failed with the bat in both innings during the first Test. He scored 21 in the first innings and 14 in the second innings. Babar was caught behind in both the innings with Mitchell Marsh getting his wicket in the first innings and Australian skipper Pat Cummins sending him back in the second innings.

“The performance of Babar in Tests is quite different from his ODI and T20 performances. Although, he is an excellent Test batsman, but he chases the ball a little [in Tests]. In the Perth Test, he faced both deliveries that would have gotten any batter out, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was that sort of a pitch that anyone can get out at any time,” Nazar said.

Mudassar Nazar also shared his reservations about Shan Masood’s appointment as the Test captain. He criticized the practice of promoting individuals not on their consistent performances but solely based on their proficiency in English.

Mudassar Nazar Feels Shan Masood Was Made Pakistan’s Skipper Out Of The Blue

“I haven’t formed an opinion [about Shan as captain], but I am against the idea of bringing somebody out of the blue and then making them captain just because they know English; this is not the right thing to do. Shan Masood is a very fine player on his own. If he had been consistently performing in the team and was made captain, that would have been fine,” Nazar said.

Nazar further highlighted that Shan Masood’s appointment as the captain seems to be a part of a trend where efforts were made to include him in the team and subsequently give him the captaincy of the squad. “I have observed efforts being made for a while now to somehow accommodate him in the team and later make him captain. This happened in Najam Sethi’s era, and now under Zaka Ashraf, the same is happening,” he added.

Shan Masood, according to Mudassar Nazar, now finds himself in a challenging position. He is constantly looking over his shoulder as he leads the team during a tough series against the Aussies without having secured a consistent spot in the playing XI himself. “Poor guy, what can he do? He was made captain on such a challenging tour when there was no place for him in the team. He was made captain during such a difficult series when there was no spot for him in the team,” he concluded.

Pakistan lost the first Test against Australia by a crushing margin of 360 runs. They were bundled on 89 in the last innings while chasing a massive target of 450 set by the hosts. The two teams will now clash in Melbourne for the second Test starting on December 26.