Pakistan Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez backs newly-appointed test skipper Shan Masood to perform well for the team in the three-match test series against Australia starting on December 14th. The 34-year-old took over the team after Babar Azam stepped down from the position after the ODI World Cup 2023.
Shan Masood was named Test captain and would serve till the completion of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. The left-handed batter has scored 1,597 runs in 30 Tests. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also decided to change Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood’s status on the central contract list from D to B following his appointment as the captain.
Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, Mohammad Hafeez, feels the skipper would thrive to succeed in the Australia test series and that the appointment was not a surprise to him given his record in the County Championship and added that the Left-handed batter has a good relationship with the team players.
“For me, seeing Shan become captain is no surprise, He was always ready for this role, and when you get this sort of opportunity, it shines. He’s a superb player, and as a leader, he’s got a great rapport with the players and a great relationship with the whole team,” Mohammed Hafeez said.
The Pakistan cricket team and management were overhauled following their World Cup 2023 fiasco. Despite playing in subcontinental conditions, Pakistan failed to advance to the tournament’s semi-finals, with experienced players Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf failing to step up for the team in the mega tournament.
Have All Seen His Management Skills Have Come To Fore – Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez believes that Shan Masood’s experience as a captain in domestic cricket and the county championship will benefit him as he leads the Pakistan team in international cricket, and he praised the Pakistan skipper for doing incredibly well for the team.
“His experience as a captain and what he’s learned over the years – especially the couple of years he’s played county cricket – have all seen his management skills have come to the fore even more. What’s important is this is a confident unit that’s here and Shan is playing his role very well,” Mohammad Hafeez added.
The Men In Green will be eyeing to develop a good team with a focus on doing well in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle and the Pakistan side would be keen to win their first test series against Australia in the away conditions.
