Shan Masood goes big mouth!! Claims Pakistan aiming at World Test Championship Final

Pakistan captain Shan Masood has called for his team to play an entertaining brand of cricket which will help in reviving Test cricket in the country. Pakistan will play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh which will begin on August 21 in Rawalpindi.

Masood also added that Pakistan does not want to miss the chance to play the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final this time around. They are currently in the sixth spot in the WTC points table with two wins and three defeats so far. Their win percentage currently stands at 36.66, which is way below the first-ranked India, whose percentage is 68.52.

Pakistan will have to push from here on if they want to climb up in the WTC rankings. The first step towards their progress would be to win the upcoming two Tests against Bangladesh.

Also read: Shan Masood breaks silence on Abrar Ahmed's exclusion for the 1st Test against Bangladesh

Shan Masood reveals how Pakistan can play the WTC 2025 final

While speaking to the reporters before the first Test, Shan Masood requested the media to write positive things about the team rather than blaming them with unnecessary comments.

"Look, I think, first of all. You want your fans and media to write good things about the team. That's why one of our focuses is to play cricket everyone enjoys watching. It's a result-oriented business at the end of the day. You have to have results on your mind," Masood stated.

The left-hander also spoke about Pakistan's position in the current WTC cycle. He mentioned that if Pakistan wants to qualify for the WTC final this time, they will be needed to produce a brilliant performance in home Tests.

"And for us again, we have to look at our position in the World Test Championship. Yes, it was sixth and seventh before. Yes, we would like to obviously play the final this time. So if you want to play in the finals, we have to win our home Test matches," Masood said.

"If we have to win that, we have to take 20 wickets consistently. And obviously, our batters should score enough and give the bowlers time to take those 20 wickets," he added.

Pakistan's upcoming Test schedule at home

Pakistan will play a total of seven Tests at home during the 2024-25 season. After the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, they will play a three-match Test series against England at home.

Afterwards, they have an overseas Test assignment of a two-match Test series against South Africa. In January next year, they will play a two-match Test series at home against West Indies.

"We all want Test cricket to be fun" - Shan Masood

The Pakistan captain stressed the important of playing an exciting and positive brand of cricket to make Test cricket enjoyable for both the players and the fans. He wants to produce the right results for his team by playing an aggressive style of cricket.

"I feel it's about playing good and exciting cricket. Look, we all want Test cricket to be fun, Test cricket to be enjoyable, both for the fans and for us players. When we play Test cricket, we want to be excited about it and bring the same enthusiasm we do in any format. Our challenge is to get the right results, and also play a brand of cricket that is consistent and exciting to everyone," Masood added.

Shan Masood has led Pakistan in just one Test series so far. The series was played in Australia and Pakistan lost all three Tests on the tour. The Men in Green need to pull up their socks if they want to have any chance of qualifying for the WTC final next year.