Lahore, 29 November 2023: Pakistan Test captain, Shan Masood, held a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore ahead of the team’s tour to Australia. The Pakistan squad is set to depart from Lahore in the early hours of 30 November and will be playing three Test matches in Australia, scheduled from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024.
Shan Masood: “The opportunity presented to us is exciting and challenging for us as a team. We have started the World Test Championship on a good note so far and our goal is to continue that and hopefully play the final. We have prepared intensively. Other than the 18 players travelling to Australia, we added other players in the camp too and we got help from specialised coaches to hone our skills. We will be practicing in Canberra after we arrive in Australia and then we have a match against Prime Minister’s XI, which is a solid side as well, so we are hoping that it will help us prepare for the three Test matches well.”
Q: Could you talk about being dropped earlier then returning to the side, and being made captain?
SM: “I was dropped ahead of the South Africa series in 2021. It took me nearly two years to come back into the team. I have played domestic and county cricket in the meantime. My record before getting dropped reflects that but I have played a lot more cricket since then. I have not scored big but my contributions have come for the team in the last few games, like the Sri Lanka tour. I am satisfied with my recent form, as I have done well in domestic cricket. We are looking at this like an exciting opportunity. We are hoping to get positive results for Pakistan, not just as a series result but also in context of the World Test Championship. As far as captaincy is concerned, you should relish whatever responsibility you are given. It is a decision taken by relevant stakeholders, but once you are provided the opportunity, you should relish and deliver to the best of your capabilities.”
Q: How are you viewing the Australia tour as captain?
SM: “We are looking it as a challenge especially how this series can help our WTC campaign. Whenever I have captained before, there have been past captains in the team. I take that as a positive thing as they make your job easier, in my opinion. We don’t have just one leader in the team. Previously, when I captained Multan Sultans, I had players like Moeen Ali who had captaincy experience. As far as the current team is concerned, players like Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Babar Azam all have leadership experience, which means there is a lot more insight at offer, especially on the field. We can only grow as a team when we all play as leaders and contribute where we can best as per the requirements of Pakistan team.
“I have been fortunate enough to get captaincy opportunities in my career. Getting the Multan Sultans captaincy under Andy Flower really helped me. I look at it as a turning point in my career. Similarly, working with Derbyshire and Yorkshire really helped me. Especially Yorkshire, as there was lots going on there off the field as well so I learnt how to lead a dressing room [during crisis], which I think may help me a lot in my new assignment.”
Q: What has been the selection process for the team?
SM: “The team is selected according to a due process, which involves the committee, the management and the captain. All of us were on the same page so that made my job easier. It gave a good start to our working relationship as well as the entire committee had a consensus over the squad that was selected for the tour. It is not that our team is a completely fresh team. Our Test team is settled and the WTC has already started on that note. Abdullah and Imam have done really well for Pakistan in the opening slot for some time now. I have been batting at number three, both in domestic and national level, since Azhar Ali retired so I settle well in the side. Saim Ayub has done well in domestic cricket and his batting reflects the ideal way of playing, so he has been rewarded for his performances. Babar Azam is the best batter in the side and you build your team around your best batter so his position will not be tinkered with. Similar to Saim, Khurram Shehzad and Mir Hamza have been awarded for their domestic performances. As for Haris Rauf, you can request for a player but the discretion lies with the player and if they are unavailable, you have to make peace with it.
“We will not be making many changes to the settled team but we will be going with the intent to win so that will reflect in how the team plays. When the team is settled, you only make changes if conditions or injuries demand it. We may drop a spinner to play an extra batter but we have to keep in mind that you need five bowlers to take 20 wickets in a Test match so our priority would be fielding a team that can score runs and take 20 wickets in each game. As a team, we will take responsibilities for the result and try to learn from our mistakes everyday while we are on the tour.
“Australia’s confidence and playing style is not in our control but our own confidence and style of play is in our hands. Of course, you look at the opposition but when you make an 18-man squad, you believe that each of them will give the opposition a tough time. Whatever mistakes we make, our focus will be ensuring that we learn from that and get better but we will be playing with intent and adopting the style of play that we have worked on, during the past few days of the training camp.”
Q: How have your prepared for the Australian conditions?
SM: “We have tried to replicate Australian conditions while we were prepping for the series. We left grass on the pitches and rolled them accordingly to generate pace and bounce. We have played scenario matches too and invited performing bowlers from the domestic circuit to take part in the camp. As far as drop-in pitches are concerned, every country has different conditions and you cannot completely replicate that. Pakistan cannot have conditions like that of England or Australia or South Africa. As for exposure, that’s where U19 and A team tours come in as they help players understand and adapt to different conditions. When you promote tours at the lower level, it really helps prepare players for tours like these.”
Q: Can you comment on players that have done well in domestic but not been picked?
SM: “Pakistan comes first, so no matter what the selection decision is, you have to respect that. When you are not selected, you have to come back with convincing performances. When I was benched while being the vice-captain, the captain and team management [at the time] did not think I fit in the team combination and you have to respect that Pakistan comes before individuals and you have to prioritise the team over individuals. Playing for Pakistan is a great honour itself but playing as captain adds more responsibility. You have to look out for a lot more things, and you have to ensure that your entire squad is on the same page. The doors of selection are open for all players, but as I mentioned earlier, you do not unsettle a settled team. You have to take the settled team forward and it is not fair to chop around something that does not need fixing. Players like Ahmed Shehzad, who are doing well in the current domestic season, have not been ruled out and remain in our radar but you have to put the team requirements before everything else. Our top-order is well-settled and it should not be disturbed.”
Q: Can you elaborate on Adam Hollioake’s appointment?
SM: “He is a good appointment in my opinion because I believe you should take advantage of local expertise in whatever way you can. In the past we have seen that Saqlain Mushtaq was consulted when New Zealand tour Pakistan and Mushtaq Ahmed has been working with England as well. When you are playing in foreign conditions that you are not as familiar with, it can get challenging so it is important to engage people who have local expertise. Adam Hollioake has immense experience with Surrey and Queensland as well, where players like Usman Khawaja have played so you have to take advantage of their insight and expertise to fill the gaps that arise when you are playing in unfamiliar conditions.”
Q: Who would you say will be your trump card during the tour? Could you also comment on the value Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed bring to the side?
SM: “When you select an 18-man squad, you look at them as a group of players you believe will deliver their best, I cannot pick one player as I think it is about team combination rather than a single trump card. When you go into tours like these, you back your top-order, your middle-order and your bowling attack to do well in their own rights and threaten the opposition by delivering according to their roles.
“I have a really good relationship with Babar Azam, on and off the field. We have a long working history as we have played together for a very long time. We have batted together in both in domestic and national level cricket. Babar is a valuable part of the team’s leadership group and his insight to the team is immeasurable, as is his batting.
“Sarfraz Ahmed has been one the most successful captains and wicket-keepers of Pakistan. His presence in the team is very important as he has pioneered the change of style in Pakistan’s batting. Whether it be Sarfaraz, Rizwan or Babar, their expertise will help Pakistan in Australia, which is a positive thing for us as we will be needing their experience on the challenging tour. Sarfaraz was man of the series during the New Zealand series and he did well in the Sri Lanka series too. He has done well and is the settled wicket-keeper but Rizwan is needed as a batter for the side as he has really good record in Australia. Our playing XI will become clear once we have assessed the conditions as taking decisions preemptively will not help. We will take the best possible decision for Pakistan.”
Q: How are you eying the series as a team, considering Pakistan’s track record in Australia?
SM: “The country comes first but relying on day-to-day results causes problems. We want to play cricket that our fans enjoy. Our fans demand effort and fight from us and our fans appreciate that more than day-to-day results. We want to create a brand and style of cricket that resonates with our fans. Once we do that, results will follow. When we toured Australia in 2016, we did well and came close to winning the Gabba Test. In 2019, we did well too with the bat. However, we will be looking to improve that. Last time, we were not even close to taking 20 wickets. We will be looking to score over 400 and take 20 wickets. That is our goal right now but the rest of tactical decisions can only be taken once you assess the conditions over there as speaking about tactics preemptively does not help.”
Q: How do you see our bowling attack going in the tour?
SM: “Our bowling is not as well settled as we would have liked, especially with Naseem Shah missing. Our success in Sri Lanka came due to Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah bowling together as the two of them brought us wickets up top and in the middle too. Haris Rauf could have helped with his pace but he is not available either. Our fast bowling combination will only become clear once we arrive in Australia. We have taken fast bowlers who have done well in domestic. You have to look at the big picture and understand that you have to give ample opportunities to players, especially when the style of play of the team is changing. Right now, we are focused on making the tour a success in context of the World Test Championship as well as figuring out how to better the team combination going forward.”
Q: You have been given category D central contract, could you comment on that? Could you also comment whether you have a rotation policy in mind for the tour?
SM: “For me, Pakistan has been the priority. Categories do not matter to me, being centrally contracted is a huge honour. I am relishing the opportunity and making strides. It does not matter to me in what category I am placed, as that is the discretion of the selection committee. As far as rotation policy is concerned, each Test match is important, with context to World Test Championship. All our players are professionals and are fit. We will manage injuries and neither be putting any player at risk but we will play our best XI in every game to get results in our favour, as wins and draws both are valuable during the World Test Championship.”
