"We Want To Go Forward As A Side, Play Attractive Test Cricket" - Shan Masood On Australia Test Series
Published - 13 Dec 2023, 04:57 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
Pakistan captain Shan Masood stated that the team aims to achieve positive results in the upcoming three-match Test series against Australia. Shan Masood described the series as an opportunity to assess Pakistan’s standing in the ICC World Test Championship.
The first Test between Australia and Pakistan is scheduled to commence on Thursday, December 14, in Perth. Pakistan, currently leading the WTC standings with a 100% winning record, aims to maintain its points percentage during the upcoming red-ball series.
Australia Is Perfect The Place To Start – Shan Masood
Speaking to reporters ahead of the first game, Shan Masood emphasized the significance of the Test series, stating that every Test match and point contributes to the two-year cycle.
“When you talk about the bigger picture, there’s the World Test Championship. So every Test match, every single point counts. And it’s a two-year cycle, so we’ve got a lot of other Test matches to play as well. So Australia is the perfect place to start, [the] perfect place to gauge where we are as a team and take it from there,” Masood said.
“It’s best to look at the bigger picture as a side, look at the process, look at how we want to play cricket and take results as a by-product. If we play good cricket for five days consistently, I am sure we’ll be on the right end of certain results. So for us right now, it’s how we grow as a side, how do we go forward as a side. And if we do the right things for a long period of time, we’ll be on the right side.”
We Want To Play Attractive Test Cricket – Shan Masood
Shan Masood expressed confidence in his team’s ability to play attractive Test cricket, highlighting the goal of playing good cricket and competing against the best.
“We want to go forward as a side, play attractive Test cricket and if the results come our way, yes [that’s good]. But if they don’t, we’ll try to go back to the drawing board and try to rectify our mistakes, but I see a lot of potential in this side. A lot of players who can take Pakistan forward. For us, it is about the bigger picture and playing good cricket, and making sure we can compete against the best and this is the perfect opportunity.”
Pakistan playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad.
