One Test is never a fair assessment: Shan Masood

Pakistan skipper Shan Masood emphasizes the need for patience as he supports his team's endeavor to play an aggressive brand of cricket against top-tier Test teams. Pakistan faced significant pressure from the start of the opening Test against Australia, eventually losing by a margin of 360 runs. Looking ahead to the Boxing Day Test, Masood emphasizes the fact that change cannot be expected overnight.

Masood states, "One Test is never a fair assessment. You need time. You need a bit more time. You've already got a squad that's been playing Test cricket for a while. You have to look at the domestic structure and the players available for red-ball cricket. A lot of things you need before you can sort of force that way of playing."

He further explains the importance of player buy-in, stating, "We want to give players ample opportunity to buy into the way we want to play. There are some things that we've said from the outside that we want to play a more attractive brand of Test cricket. We did that in Sri Lanka. We got some results as well. The challenge now is to do it against the best teams in world cricket."

Masood highlights how Australia consistently scored at a rate of over four runs per over, resulting in a significant total despite Pakistan's regular breakthroughs. On the other hand, Pakistan struggled to maintain a scoring rate of three runs per over. "We don't want to force people to play a certain way, but we've outlined a few things that we want to do better," he remarked.

He further adds, "If we have to compete against Australia here, we have to start well and get quickly off the blocks and play a positive brand of cricket, which you have to give the guys some time. It can't happen overnight. You have to see how players play naturally. You have to convince them as to how you want them to play and then give them a proper chance and also try and set the tone yourself."

Masood acknowledges his own role in the first Test and the need for adaptability in different situations. He states, "When I went out, the ball was a bit older, run-scoring was a bit easier. You need to pick your moments and you want to pick your battles. That's what I want the team to do. Be adaptable to different situations. Be positive."

Regarding the selection of Mohammad Rizwan over Sarfaraz Ahmed for the wicketkeeper's role in the next Test, Masood explains the team's rationale. He clarifies, "We wanted to set a precedent where we wanted to reward people who have been playing red-ball consistently in domestic cricket over the past few years."

Masood expresses his belief that both Rizwan and Sarfaraz are equally important to the team, stating, "Any competition they have is healthy competition." He justifies the selection of Sarfaraz by highlighting his past performance and consistent participation in red-ball cricket. However, he acknowledges Rizwan's recent performance in the World Cup and his outstanding season in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, which led to his inclusion in the team.

In conclusion, Masood urges patience in allowing the team to establish themselves and emphasizes the need for players to adapt to different situations and play a positive brand of cricket.