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Shan Masood speaking during a media talk ahead of 1st Test against South Africa:
“We are eagerly looking forward to measure ourselves against South Africa, who have always been one of the top sides in the world. We have got some momentum from the recently concluded home Test series against England and the ODI series which featured a number of our Test squad members.
“The return of pacer Khurram Shahzad, who did really well on his debut in Australia and the seasoned campaigner Mohammad Abbas is a welcome development for Pakistan’s Test side looking to bag wins in one of the toughest conditions for overseas teams.
“We know South Africa have done well in this iteration of the ICC World Test Championship but we have prepared for this series in the best possible manner as well after having arrived in the country at least two weeks ago.”
About playing 11:
“The first thing is that we want to look at a couple of aspects regarding what type of combination we need here. It seems that the pitch is conducive for seam bowling. The scoring shots you play here always yield value because of the altitude. So, this is a place where elements of both batting and seam bowling will come into play.”
The strategy of both teams:
“There is nothing that suggests both teams will approach this game differently; it is more based on the conditions. If you look at their batting lineup, there are nine players who are all-rounders, and given the way the pitch looks so far, you trust the seamers to do well.”
About Aamer Jamal:
“From Australia, we did one thing that we think is very important going forward in Test cricket. We backed Aamer Jamal in spin-friendly conditions; he occupied that number eight slot. There are different aspects to his bowling; he is not one-dimensional. He is handy where reverse swing is necessary, and he can also be effective where an enforcer is required. He is equally skillful when it comes to bowling with the new ball, plus his batting has impressed everyone. His innings in Sydney and the 40 runs he scored in Multan were very good, as the 50 he made in the second innings was very good. The makeup of your number eight in a Test match is essential. If you look at South Africa’s side, you’ll find that the best teams in the world need players who are all-rounders, allowing you to field specialist bowlers.”
About Mohammad Abbas:
“Mohammad Abbas is someone who, in my opinion, fits perfectly if you're trying to build a stock attack for Test matches. But if you go back a year to the series in Australia, we had six fast bowlers at our disposal, including three new ones—Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad, and Aamer Jamal—alongside regulars like Hassan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah. At that time, the seventh fast bowler was Mohammad Abbas. It takes time for players to develop, and you need to give them full opportunities while considering the conditions. I think the England series was one where Abbas' skill set wasn't as necessary, but we feel that in South Africa, we need a bowler who can add control and depth to our bowling lineup, especially in conditions that favor seam movement. The skills Mohammad Abbas provides are different and add another dimension.”
Lessons learned from the last tour of South Africa:
“We were in a decent position in the Test matches we played in Centurion. Even now, we were discussing that there was a stage when Imam-ul-Haq and I were batting, and we were one wicket down at 100, with almost a 70-run lead. In such conditions and on such a pitch, you'd say, "Let's aim for 200 or 220." When it comes to my batting, I got 50s and 60s so I got a lot of starts so in these conditions when you get a good start you have to make it count and that will be the lesson for the team as well to convert those starts into hundreds so it can be a match winning innings”
“We are eagerly looking forward to measure ourselves against South Africa, who have always been one of the top sides in the world. We have got some momentum from the recently concluded home Test series against England and the ODI series which featured a number of our Test squad members.
“The return of pacer Khurram Shahzad, who did really well on his debut in Australia and the seasoned campaigner Mohammad Abbas is a welcome development for Pakistan’s Test side looking to bag wins in one of the toughest conditions for overseas teams.
“We know South Africa have done well in this iteration of the ICC World Test Championship but we have prepared for this series in the best possible manner as well after having arrived in the country at least two weeks ago.”
About playing 11:
“The first thing is that we want to look at a couple of aspects regarding what type of combination we need here. It seems that the pitch is conducive for seam bowling. The scoring shots you play here always yield value because of the altitude. So, this is a place where elements of both batting and seam bowling will come into play.”
The strategy of both teams:
“There is nothing that suggests both teams will approach this game differently; it is more based on the conditions. If you look at their batting lineup, there are nine players who are all-rounders, and given the way the pitch looks so far, you trust the seamers to do well.”
About Aamer Jamal:
“From Australia, we did one thing that we think is very important going forward in Test cricket. We backed Aamer Jamal in spin-friendly conditions; he occupied that number eight slot. There are different aspects to his bowling; he is not one-dimensional. He is handy where reverse swing is necessary, and he can also be effective where an enforcer is required. He is equally skillful when it comes to bowling with the new ball, plus his batting has impressed everyone. His innings in Sydney and the 40 runs he scored in Multan were very good, as the 50 he made in the second innings was very good. The makeup of your number eight in a Test match is essential. If you look at South Africa’s side, you’ll find that the best teams in the world need players who are all-rounders, allowing you to field specialist bowlers.”
About Mohammad Abbas:
“Mohammad Abbas is someone who, in my opinion, fits perfectly if you're trying to build a stock attack for Test matches. But if you go back a year to the series in Australia, we had six fast bowlers at our disposal, including three new ones—Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad, and Aamer Jamal—alongside regulars like Hassan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah. At that time, the seventh fast bowler was Mohammad Abbas. It takes time for players to develop, and you need to give them full opportunities while considering the conditions. I think the England series was one where Abbas' skill set wasn't as necessary, but we feel that in South Africa, we need a bowler who can add control and depth to our bowling lineup, especially in conditions that favor seam movement. The skills Mohammad Abbas provides are different and add another dimension.”
Lessons learned from the last tour of South Africa:
“We were in a decent position in the Test matches we played in Centurion. Even now, we were discussing that there was a stage when Imam-ul-Haq and I were batting, and we were one wicket down at 100, with almost a 70-run lead. In such conditions and on such a pitch, you'd say, "Let's aim for 200 or 220." When it comes to my batting, I got 50s and 60s so I got a lot of starts so in these conditions when you get a good start you have to make it count and that will be the lesson for the team as well to convert those starts into hundreds so it can be a match winning innings”
