Shan Masood: “Abbas was part of the squad because we felt that the conditions in South Africa would suit him, making him the number one bowler for the Pakistan team. Now, the conditions have changed here”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood said Mohammad Abbas was “the number one bowler” during the two-Test series against South Africa, but things have since changed.
He noted that Abbas wasn’t selected for the two-Test series against the West Indies in Multan as the conditions weren’t suited to his style of bowling.
Abbas made his Test comeback after three years against South Africa and did unbelievably well in the two Tests, taking 10 wickets, which included a career-best 6-54 in the 1st Test in Centurion, at an average of 24.60.
Many people were surprised when the 34-year-old from Sialkot was dropped for the West Indies Test series, but Masood defended the decision, insisting that the selection of fast bowlers depends on what type of pitches the team will be playing on.
“Abbas was part of the squad because we felt that the conditions in South Africa would suit him, making him the number one bowler for the Pakistan team. Now, the conditions have changed here and we need to consider the number of players in the squad. We need to see what type of fast bowler we need,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Neither Abbas nor Masood have been picked in Pakistan’s team for the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.
They were also overlooked for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
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