No matter what your opinion is, Pakistani cricket captains are a lot like Pakistani prime ministers like Shan Masood: you always want stability, but you can’t be sure when they’ll be kicked out. A captain who is having trouble getting runs is looked at by the higher-ups in the same way that a disliked Prime Minister is.
But Shan Masood isn’t just having trouble getting runs. He has never made any straight at the Test level. Not only does that sound direct, but his batting average of 28 after 34 Test matches paints an even more stark picture.
He made the bad mistake of misreading the pitch and playing four seamers on what turned out to be a typical subcontinental track, with some moisture at the start and flatter conditions that cracked open for spinners by the last day. In the most recent of those Tests, Pakistan lost to Bangladesh, and he became the first Pakistan captain to lose to Bangladesh.
For the kind of cricket player Masood has been portrayed as—a smart nerd who is always trying to beat the other team with smart planning and clear, positive thinking—this kind of tactical mistake should have been impossible. No matter how bad he was with the bat, his leadership would make up for it.
As it turned out, it seemed to work at first, as he led Pakistan to their best showing in Australia this century. It’s not crazy to think that lost catches kept Pakistan from winning the series.
As always, Shan Masood didn’t have enough runs, but Pakistan played better in Australia than they did at home the previous season, which made up for it. He was the second-best hitter on his team, though. He was going to be a great leader if he could ke e Test team on the right track during this year’s great home season and raise his average to a more respectable mid-30s.
More than ever, Shan Masood needs to find a way to score runs while still being a good captain, which is how he got the job in the first place.
Entertainment3 months ago
