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The Pakistan National Cricket Team is all set to begin a new chapter in Test cricket under Babar Azam as they prepare for the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies. This will be Shan Masood's first Test series after losing the captaincy, but head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has made it clear that the senior batter is still a very important part of the team.
After Pakistan's poor results in recent Test matches, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) removed Shan Masood as captain and brought back Babar Azam to lead the team. Even after losing the leadership role, the team management believes Masood will continue to play a big role. Earlier, Sarfaraz Ahmed had expressed fitness concerns.
Sarfaraz Ahmed gives fitness update on Shan Masood
Ahead of the West Indies Test series later this July, Sarfaraz Ahmed said that Shan Masood is in good spirits and remains confident before the tour. He also revealed that Masood had prepared well but picked up a small hamstring injury during training.
However, the injury is not serious, and the team is not worried about his fitness. The coach praised Shan Masood for handling the situation in a positive way. He believes the left-handed batter gave his best as captain and can now help the team by scoring runs as a senior player.
Sarfaraz Ahmed said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, “I spoke to Shan Masood, and his confidence and spirits are high. He prepared well but had a slight hamstring niggle. But his attitude was excellent. Shan is a senior player and a very sensible one. He understands how to get through this. The way he contributed as captain, he will now contribute as a player too.”
Pakistan trains hard for the West Indies tour
Meanwhile, Pakistan has worked hard before leaving for the West Indies. The players completed a one-month training camp in Lahore and then got a short break of four to five days. After that, they attended another three-day camp in Rawalpindi before flying to the Caribbean.
The team also practiced on different types of pitches. Some pitches had more grass to help fast bowlers, while others were spin-friendly so the players could prepare for every situation. Amid this, Pakistan set to host four-team ODI tournament ahead of 2027 World Cup.
The coach shared, “Our preparation is excellent. We had a one-month camp in Lahore before giving the boys about four to five days off. After that, we had a 3-day camp in here [in Rawalpindi] again. The humidity over there is kind of the same as it is here. The weather will be warm, and that's what we're preparing for, so we expect good results.”
"We expect to get used to the weather"- Sarfaraz Ahmed on getting used to conditions
They prepared the team according to the conditions expected in the West Indies. Since the weather there is hot and humid, the players trained in similar conditions in Pakistan.
Sarfaraz further explained, “We've built our team looking at conditions in the West Indies. We've prepared with that in mind. We prepared some pitches with grass on and some spin tracks. We practiced on both. We have a practice match in Port-of-Spain where both our tests are [in Tarouba and then at Queen's Park Oval]. We expect to get used to the weather.”
Before the Test series starts, Pakistan will play a four-day practice match in Trinidad. Both Test matches will also be played in Trinidad, giving them enough time to get used to the local conditions.
