Ramiz Raja: “The head coach and captain were forced to make Shan Masood play”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has revealed that captain Babar Azam was forced to play top order batsman Shan Masood.
It comes after Masood was named vice-captain for the ODI series against New Zealand in January.
Ramiz found out about this through his sources and was also informed that the head coach at the time, Saqlain Mushtaq, received numerous calls when Masood was benched for the first two matches.
“The head coach of Pakistan received multiple calls when vice-captain Shan Masood was benched for two matches against New Zealand. The head coach and captain were forced to make Shan Masood play,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam and Masood are currently playing a five-match ODI series against New Zealand, which Pakistan leads 2-0.
Azam has made scores of 49, 65 and 54, while Masood only scored one run in the first ODI. He was not picked for the second match and third ODIs.
The fourth ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand will take place on Friday in Karachi.
Pakistan squad for ODI series against New Zealand:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir