Shan Masood will lead Pakistan in the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Even since Pakistan’s first-round exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, the reports of discord and grouping in the dressing room have been doing the rounds. Some Pakistan-based journalist had also hinted at the players’ potential involvement in the fixing.
Masood, however, was quick to dismiss such claims, highlighting the team's unity and focus on their upcoming challenges.
During a press conference, Masood was asked to give a message to his team following Arshad Nadeem's gold medal for Pakistan in the men's javelin event at the Paris Olympics 2024.
The reporters also drew a parallel between Nadeem's historic achievement and the rewards of bringing glory to the nation, suggesting that such feats overshadow any gains from illegal activities like match-fixing.
In response, Masood said: “I won't ever question anyone's intentions. You used the word 'match-fixing'. In this cricket setup, I don't think there is anything that points fingers towards that. I won't ever agree to this.”
“Secondly, you can't mix formats. The World Cup is in the past. You have to look forward. This is a Test team. Even in the last series, we played good cricket but couldn't win. Now, we have a good opportunity in the home series, we have to play our style of cricket and win matches for Pakistan,” he added.
Arshad Nadeem didn’t only end Pakistan's 40-year-long wait for an Olympic gold medal but also became country’s first and only individual Olympic gold medalist. No wonder, many believe that his achievement is the greatest ever by any Pakistani sportsperson.
Hailing Nadeem as a “national hero”, Shan Masood said: “As you spoke about Arshad Nadeem, he’s a national hero. What he’s achieved now it has further catapulted him to a greater stature and we’re very happy about that. We’ll take inspiration from Arshad Nadeem’s success and hope to bring in more glory for Pakistan.”
Pakistan are scheduled to play two Tests against Pakistan, slated to get underway on August 21 in Rawalpindi. The second Test will be held in Karachi from August 30.
(Hindustan Times Inputs)