Shan Masood makes stunning 'mentally weak' statement on Pakistan Test team

Pakistan captain Shan Masood faced another defeat as the Test captain of his country when Pakistan lost to England by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test of the series at Multan. As a result, Masood was visibly upset about his team's performance.

The Pakistan skipper was asked some tough questions during the post-match presentation. One of those questions was about the mental toughness of the Pakistan cricket team since the team has been unable to cope with the consistent losses.

Also read: Shan Masood exposes 'harsh reality' after Pakistan's Multan Test loss, delivers verdict on pitch

Shan Masood feels Pakistan is not mentally weak

When Shan Masood was questioned about Pakistan's mental toughness, he was quick to admit that his team was not mentally weak. He admitted that Pakistan collapsed in their second innings and the result could have been different had they put up a good score on the board.

"I won't say that my team is mentally weak. The third innings in isolation can seem like a collapse where everything went wrong. But if we could have kept England to near our score, then the 220 runs put on today could have felt a difficult onw in the final innings," Shan Masood said.

Already under pressure due to poor results in Test cricket, Shan Masood suffered a sixth defeat in a row as Pakistan captain. The first three defeats came in Australia as they were whitewashed by the home team 3-0.

Afterward, Bangladesh stunned Pakistan by defeating them 2-0 just over a month ago. Now, Ehe defeat to England in the first Test makes it six losses in a row.

"We have to find a way to capitalise" - Shan Masood

Masood claimed that it hurts after losing like this and making the same mistakes again and again. He asked his side to stop looking for excuses and look for ways to win a Test match.

"Could not be more disappointed. Losing as a Pakistan player and a captain really hurts. Under my tenure, we have repeated the same mistake, we have set up Test matches and have not capitalised on. We have to find a way to capitalise. We should not point fingers at any individuals, or on the institution. If we are to win a Test match, we have to find ways, it is as simple as that," he added.

While Pakistan lost the Test match, Shan Masood had a fairly good game as a batter. After a string of low scores in Test cricket, the left-hander scored 151 off 177 balls in Pakistan's first innings. He smashed 13 fours and 2 sixes during the match.

England win a memorable Test match

Pakistan scored 556 runs in their first innings on the back of hundreds from Masood, Abdullah Shafique, and Salman Ali Agha. It seemed like Pakistan had avoided a defeat at that time but England's Bazball style changed everything.

The visitors put up an exhibition of magnificent batting performances on what looked like a flat pitch at Multan. Joe Root and Harry Brook put on a partnership of 454 runs for the fourth wicket as England slammed 823-7 in their first innings. Root scored 262 while Brook was dismissed for 317.

Trailing by 267 runs after the first innings, Pakistan's batters panicked under some brilliant bowling from England bowlers. Salman Ali Agha and Aamer Jamal scored fifties but the top-order collapse meant that Pakistan were all out for just 220.