Pakistan opener Shan Masood has often drawn flak in his own backyard over his dismal record as Test captain. The southpaw has led his country in 12 Test matches so far, winning three and losing nine, with a win percentage of 25.
Masood’s captaincy started with a record four consecutive losses, and he achieved his first Test victory after six straight defeats, beating England 2-1 in a home series after losing the opener. His tenure includes a humiliating home series loss to Bangladesh as well.
As a batter too, Masood has failed to set the stage on fire, averaging a below-par 30.12 after playing 42 Test matches with six hundreds and 11 fifties to his name.
As Pakistan are gearing up to begin a fresh WTC cycle with two-Test series against South Africa at home, Masood was grilled about his performance by a reporter in a press conference. It was then that the Pakistan skipper gave a pointed response.
The reporter told Masood that he hasn't been leading from the front. However, the southpaw asked the journalist to support his claim with some statistics.
Here’s how the conversation unfolded:
Reporter: “Aapki apni performance ko leke kaafi baat ho rahi hai ki captain lead from the front karte hai lekin humare Test captain lead from the front nahi kar rahe. Uske baare main bata de (There is a lot of chatter about your own performance. The talk is that our captain is not leading from the front. Please tell us about it)."
Masood: “If you give me numbers, then I will answer this question. We are just repeating one thing. We are playing in such conditions where our priority is to take 20 wickets. We don't want to play on wickets where Tests are drawn. To excel in WTC, you must win matches. We need to lower our expectations when it comes to cumulative averages. If you look at the WTC cycle for the last period, I am among the top run-scorers for Pakistan. Unfortunately, the results haven't come, and we consider it a cumulative failure.”
The first Test between Pakistan and South Africa will be played in Lahore from October 12-16.
