‘We Need More Test Cricket’, Says Pakistan Captain Shan Masood

Rawalpindi: Pakistan Scan captain Shan Masood has is termed for america of a to play greater Scan fits as they prepares for a unusual and packed season of red-ball cricket, starting place with a two-match sequence in opposition to Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on August 21.

Pakistan are set to play seven Exams at place of abode, facing Bangladesh, England, and the West Indies, with a two-Scan sequence in South Africa. The closing time Pakistan played greater than six Exams in a single season became in 1998-Ninety nine, over 25 years sooner than now.

Both Exams in opposition to Bangladesh will likely be their first for the reason that that the New Year’s Scan in Sydney sooner than now this year. Once this place of abode season concludes in January 2025, Pakistan will face a long gap, with no Scan cricket scheduled except October 2025, when South Africa visits, observed by any diverse long break except March 2026.

Conversing on the PCB podcast, Masood alongside Scan educate Jason Gillespie by former cricketer and broadcaster Bazid Khan, emphasised the necessity for greater familiar Scan cricket for Pakistan.

“We need greater Scan cricket,” Masood talked about. “For me, it’s greater about how we can get our crew to play greater Scan fits. That comes down to scheduling, lowering the gaps, and guaranteeing we've bought familiar Scan squads going forward. We’re taking part in nine Scan fits in four months, teenagers we’ve additionally had to place of abode an unlucky calendar where we played in Australia, and then we’re taking part in our subsequent Scan after ten months. These are challenges that Pakistan cricket desires to place of abode going forward.”

“If I’m being brutally sincere, in place of abode Scan fits, because they’ve been played at one-of-a-diversity hobbies of the year and in opposition to one-of-a-diversity nations, we nonetheless haven’t determined our great task of taking part in at place of abode that fits our batting, bowling, and familiar style,” the captain delivered.

Masood’s considerations prolong previous just the diversity of Exams. He believes that Pakistan has yet to check a sturdy identification in place of abode Scan fits. After Scan cricket returned to Pakistan in 2019, the crew before every little thing built a advantageous itemizing at place of abode. Alternatively, for the reason that that beating South Africa in January 2021, Pakistan has now not won a Scan in three place of abode sequence, inclusive of a whitewash by England and a draw with New Zealand.

“In Scan cricket, which is the final assignment contained within the sport, you can the reality is have bought to be time and again taking place with yes situations,” Masood talked about. “Positive, we’ve been taking part in at place of abode for the reason that that 2019, teenagers diverse teams had been taking part in on their place of abode soils for an bad lot longer. We nonetheless should make certain what our greatest capacity at home is.”

One amongst of the foremost areas of core of attention for Pakistan contained within the upcoming sequence in opposition to Bangladesh is surroundings up an elevated place of abode skills. The Scan squad for the sequence is filled with quick bowlers, with best one educated spinner, Abrar Ahmed, covered.

This resolution capacity is paying homage to the early days of Scan cricket’s return to Pakistan when the crew relied on tempo and determined success in opposition to teams like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Alternatively, in greater recent sequence in opposition to Australia, England, and New Zealand, where spin became favoured, Pakistan struggled.

Masood is evident about what desires to be applied: “Now we have bought to parent what helps us win as a crew. How can we create situations that suit us greater and put us contained within the using seat, as a replacement than just questioning about how we can handle the opposition?”

Gillespie echoed Masood’s sentiments, acknowledging the challenges of rising a familiar identification at place of abode. Alternatively, he expressed confidence that the crew has the materials to succeed, whether or not on quick, bouncy tracks or slower, spin-pleasant surfaces.

“I imagine the identification will diversity itself out. At some level of this subsequent timeframe, seven Scan fits out of nine are in Pakistan, which is confidential,” Gillespie talked about. “Now we have bought to be versatile and adaptable, teenagers we’ll of direction have a common blueprint on how we need to play our games.”

With a busy Scan time table upfront, managing the avid gamers’ workload has flip into a priority. Key avid gamers like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah had been now not given NOCs to play in in a foreign kingdom locations leagues, because the very great purpose remains on representing Pakistan.

“We’ve bought multi-format avid gamers, and we’ve bought to protect them as best we can,” Gillespie talked about. “The priority is representing Pakistan, teenagers if there are therapies – on a case-by-case foundation – where a participant can discover out about their sport and play more a fine advice cricket, which in flip will e-ebook them be an elevated cricketer for Pakistan, then we’ll of direction don't neglect those therapies.”