Ramiz Raja: “Shan Masood needs hard work as a captain, as a leader… Until he gives a statement with his bat, he won’t be able to establish himself in the dressing room or on the opposition”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said Test captain Shan Masood must make “a statement with his bat” if he wants to earn his stripes.
Masood was one of Pakistan’s top performing batsmen during the recent three-match Test series against Australia, but he would have been disappointed not to have done better.
The 34-year-old, who made his debut as Test captain during the series, amassed 181 runs in three matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 30.16.
Pakistan fought hard during certain periods, but ultimately succumbed to a 3-0 defeat.
Ramiz noted that if Masood wants to earn the respect of his teammates and the opposition, he has to cement his status as a leader by making big scores.
“Shan Masood needs hard work as a captain, as a leader… Until he gives a statement with his bat, he won’t be able to establish himself in the dressing room or on the opposition,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on January 12 in Auckland.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan