Shan Masood called Jason Gillespie's 'Puppet'; labelled a YES man

Basit Ali has launched a scathing attack on Pakistan's Test captain Shan Masood ahead of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting on Wednesday, August 21, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. This series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25.

Ahead of the first Test in Rawalpindi, the former Pakistan batter has accused Shan Masood of becoming a mere 'yes-man' to the new head coach, Jason Gillespie. Basit believes that the Pakistan captain is merely signing Gillespie's decisions and making the same errors that led Babar Azam to struggle as captain in the traditional format of the game.

Shan Masood has become a yes-man: Basit Ali

Notably, Gillespie, the former Australian pacer, took charge of Pakistan's Test team earlier this year, and the upcoming two-match Test series will be his first assignment. However, Ali criticized the decision-making process leading up to the home Test series against Bangladesh.

Basit Ali said in his latest video on his YouTube channel: “Shan Masood has become a yes-man; it is a pity. He is making the same mistakes that Babar did after being reinstated as the captain.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan announced their playing XI for the opening Test of the two-match series against the Bangladesh cricket team on Tuesday, August 21. This selection has been met with a lot of criticism, as many argue it lacks balance and might not help the team's long-term goals.

Here’s Pakistan’s playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh:

Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Ali.

Well, the former Pakistan selector’s criticism extends beyond the team selection for the Rawalpindi Test against the Tigers, as he questioned the overall management of the Pakistan cricket team. Basit went on to suggest that if Pakistan wins a game or series against Bangladesh, the team management will go gaga over their decisions, but what if it fails?

The former Pakistan coach warned that the Pakistan team might face a harsh reality check in their upcoming Test series against England. According to Ali, the upcoming three-match Test series against England will truly test the effectiveness of the current strategies and reveal flaws in the team's approach.

They have made a mockery of Pakistan: Ali

Basit signed off by saying, “They have made a mockery of Pakistan. Now they will win against Bangladesh and say we took the right calls. The fans will also say that the team management made great decisions. When England will come, you will know the reality.”

Notably, the Pakistan versus England Test series will be played in October 2024. Before Ali, several former Pakistani players like Kamran Akmal and Tanveer Ahmed slammed the team selection.

Now, all eyes will be on how Shan Masood and Gillespie navigate the challenges ahead and whether their decisions will prove successful or lead to further scrutiny, as they are already facing a lot of heat because of their series of poor performances across the formats for a long time now.