Shan Masood. Photo-PCB
Shan Masood. Photo-PCB

Shan Masood, Pakistan captain was left stunned when a journo asked him whether he and his team didn’t feel shame after they kept losing in international cricket. This led to the PCB media manager intervening and saving Masood some major embarrassment.

The incident happened during Shan Masood’s pre-England Test series press conference as he faced some tough questions from Pakistani journalists concerning the Pakistan team’s poor performance in the last 3 years in all three formats.

The Pakistan cricket team has faced widespread criticism following a succession of poor performances in recent years. The team struck a new low when they lost 2-0 at home to Bangladesh.

The team had hoped for a change in fortunes after Shan Masood was appointed as Test captain, succeeding Babar Azam, but things went from bad to worse as he lost five consecutive Tests since taking over. Pakistan lost 3-0 to Australia before falling to Bangladesh.

“Khuddari nahi aati, performance ho nahi rhi?”- Shan Masood stumped by a serious question

Ahead of the series, which begins on October 7, the Pakistan skipper held a news conference when he was stumped by a smart question from a journalist who questioned if he had considered leaving the squad following recent troubles.

“Shan, abhi aapne bola ki jab tak voh mauka de rahe hain toh aap avail karenge. Par kya kabhi khud se khuddari nahi aati ki haar gaye, performance nahi ho rahi, toh chhod k chale jaaye?” (Shan, you just said that as long as you’re given the opportunity, you’ll avail it. But doesn’t it come from within to step aside when you’ve been losing and the performances aren’t there?),” Iqbal asked.

Journalist Javed Iqbal taunted Shan Masood with his question and the Pakistan captain was taken aback by the bluntness of the query. However, Sami ul Hasan, the PCB’s Director of Media and Communication, stepped in to help Masood and asked the media to respect the Pakistan captain.

“Pakistan ka captain baitha hai, aap bilkul sawal karein but please show respect and particularly I am referring Javed. It was not the appropriate way of asking Pakistan captain the question that you asked,” the media manager said.

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Masood expressed his support for the players, stating that while criticism is unavoidable following poor performances, it is critical to support the squad during difficult times.

“The losses hurt deeply, but it is vital to support the team, es­pecially during difficult times. Criticism is natural, but if we are to move forward, we must back our play­ers. Consistency is key to long-term success,” Masood said.

The England Test series begins on October 7 in Multan with the second Test beginning from October 15, also in Multan. The third Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24 onwards.

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