[VIDEO] Shan Masood 2.0 - Performance Watch

[Bewal Express]

Batted well against the pacers but for some bizzare reason looked shocking against the spin. He couldn't rotate the Strike nor defend with any technique.

 

[GreenKhan]

Gritty innings from Shan . He has faced a 150 balls already . Seemed a bit anxious in the last passage of play .

A half century tomorrow will really be a good result for him especially after his nightmare in 2016 . If he can continue being the folly to babar for the first session tomorrow Pak will be in a good position .

Only fear is with the batting line up as it is 180-4 can easily become 240 all out .

 

[shamaan]

Batted well against the pacers but for some bizzare reason looked shocking against the spin. He couldn't rotate the Strike nor defend with any technique.

You would expect the opposite being a pakistan player

 

[shamaan]

Good gritty innings needs to learn how to play the spinners without getting bogged down

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Hope he carries on tomorrow. In the past, he's been pretty frustrating with the way he is caught poking at the balls way outside off stump.

 

[Slog]

The number of shots he plays behind the wicket is insane. To me it’s a sign of a poor array of shots and frankly lack of confidence

Even in the Sri Lanka century which I watched like atleast 75% of his runs were behind the wicket and those were as easy conditions as he’ll ever get

 

[shamaan]

The number of shots he plays behind the wicket is insane. To me it’s a sign of a poor array of shots and frankly lack of confidence

Even in the Sri Lanka century which I watched like atleast 75% of his runs were behind the wicket and those were as easy conditions as he’ll ever get

Proberly becouse he play the bowl late.tbh aslong as he gets runs I dont mind were he scores it

 

[the Great Khan]

Impressed with his grit and fighting spirit. Was lucky but you make your own luck. Here's hoping he stays at the crease till the end of the innings

 

[Zaz]

Hes done well Pakistan needs its openers to fire n provide good starts this series Just carry on playing the ball on merit n late Nothing flash Just get the job done

 

[TeamPak95]

I hope Shan scores a big hundred here. Totally deserves it for all the hard work he puts into his batting.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

He has done his job. His role is to see off the new ball and be an anchor. He is a not a free flowing batsman like Babar.

 

[sshakir411]

I'm a Shan believer but he was not convincing at all during the first day and got lucky a couple of times. He really needs to develop the square drive and square cut as an opener to score more runs. He may have those shots in his armor but I'm yet to see him use them.

 

[TrentDevil]

This would have been bad!

Buttler as keeper reminds me of Luca Zidane )

 

[Major]

OMG I had forgotten about Sami Aslam. That guy was just a stopper and not a batsman, had ZERO shots in his arsenal. Shan Masood is definitely an upgrade on him. I remember how Sami was hailed as the next big thing alongside Bobby.

Babar came from the u19 system after spending 7-10 years with the u19 pakistani team. He was dominating. Same way Sami Aslam came into first Class after dominating in the u19 teams.

Its quite surprising what happened to Sami Aslam, but i still hope for him

 

[Amjid Javed]

Any batsmen in english conditions needs some luck to get through the new ball. Shan has got himself in, where the struggle has come has been fielders are now in place to stop the singles and hes struggling to work ball around.

You dont want to battle through 40 overs against swing and seam and then get out to a poor shot vs spinners

Lets hope he gets a 100 here.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Babar came from the u19 system after spending 7-10 years with the u19 pakistani team. He was dominating. Same way Sami Aslam came into first Class after dominating in the u19 teams.

Its quite surprising what happened to Sami Aslam, but i still hope for him

The quartet of u19 players - Sami, Babar and Imam.

During the u19 phases it was clear that these 3 would play for Pakistan. At that time it was these 3 and then bust for Pakistan u19 team. When I watched them play back then, Imam was easily the more flamboyant / stroke player compared to the other 2. I initially thought Imam would be our positive player for future. Sami was the run getter and quite frankly Babar was a notch beneath them at u19 phase.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, now Babar is the strokeplayer (infact he is much more than that). Imam can play and has very good application (evident by his 100s in ODI) however I would like Imam to develop more range of shots. Imam is good off short bowl and when he goes in a shell his getaway shot is a slog over cover. He needs to learn the art of rotating strike better.

Sami, not sure what is happening with him. He is not making any eye catching appearances in domestic of late for us to gauge whats happening with him.

 

[Majid Khan]

He’s clearly hard working and willing to adapt and struggle , but if you struggle a whole day to get to 45 and then throw it away , no one remembers the hard work.

Lucky to get away with that missed stumping yesterday when he got a bit excited but still he’s there and now it’s time to make it count and score big.

Otherwise 30s and 40s coming from hard work and labour, don’t necessarily add much value.

 

[topspin]

OMG I had forgotten about Sami Aslam. That guy was just a stopper and not a batsman, had ZERO shots in his arsenal. Shan Masood is definitely an upgrade on him. I remember how Sami was hailed as the next big thing alongside Bobby.

Agreed, it shocks me how anyone would want Imam or Sami ahead of Shan Masood.

Sami got found out against the short ball and is far too timid to become a successful international player.

As for Imam, "I am automatic selection" sums up his ego and self-inflated view of himself as a batsman.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

This 50 in tough conditions is like scoring 150 on an NSK motorway.

 

[Rana]

Shan Masood has been on the same score since yesterday 2 o clock

 

[Firebat]

Shan Masood has been on the same score since yesterday 2 o clock

Would you rather him throw his hands at a wide one and nick off? His presence is the only reason we haven't been bowled out already.

 

[Major]

Shan doing well. Just needs to be there thats it.

 

[Rana]

Would you rather him throw his hands at a wide one and nick off? His presence is the only reason we haven't been bowled out already.

I think you are over estimating his fight, which is good. However he is well set to score boundaries where there should be one.

 

[tyron_woodley]

what a performance. keep it up. #respect.

deserves a reward.

 

[MenInG]

what a performance. keep it up. #respect.

deserves a reward.

The last Pakistan opening batsman before Shan Masood to last 200+ balls in a Test in England was Saeed Anwar at the Oval in 1996 (176 off 264 balls).

 

[shady]

Is Shan the best player of short pitch bowling in the team? He's looked completely at home facing Archer's bouncers, really impressive stuff.

 

[Markhor]

Desperately hope he gets his hundred after all the hard work he's put in so far.

 

[coy0607]

Its been a pretty ugly innings, with tons of edges and missed chances by the fielders/keeper. Feels like half his runs have come from edges. But he's grinding it out, definitely deserves credit for that

 

[MenInG]

Its been a pretty ugly innings, with tons of edges and missed chances by the fielders/keeper. Feels like half his runs have come from edges. But he's grinding it out, definitely deserves credit for that

Shan Masood False Shot percentage in this Test… (source Sky)

1st day, Morning – 26 per cent
1st day, Afternoon – 17 per cent
1st day, evening – 17 per cent
2nd day, morning – 11 per cent

 

[King_Kohli]

Impressive. He is damn solid.

 

[King_Kohli]

Shan Masood False Shot percentage in this Test… (source Sky)

1st day, Morning – 26 per cent
1st day, Afternoon – 17 per cent
1st day, evening – 17 per cent
2nd day, morning – 11 per cent

I am not sure on what basis they evaluate. More than 15 shots towards slips didn't carry.
I am not all are faulty shots

 

[PakFan2010]

It's like watching a hybrid version of Brian Lara and Graeme Smith.

 

[as-95]

Gets his century! Needs to kick on now and focus on the 150. Take it step by step!

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Great character shown by him. One of my favourite Pakistani cricketers

 

[Firebat]

This is Shan Masood's 3rd consecutive century in 3 innings:

135 vs Sri Lanka (2nd innings)
100 vs Bangladesh (1st innings)
100* vs England (1st innings)

 

[King_Kohli]

Shan Masood

- Born in Kuwait on the day when Wasim Akram took ODI hat-trick v WI on October 14, 1989
- Moved to England to complete school education & play cricket
- Scored 1237 runs for Stamford school at an average of 103 in 2009
- Hit his 4th Test ton today

 

[Tabishbeigh]

That should put an end to claims of nepotism around him .

 

[King_Kohli]

Shan Masood becomes only the SECOND player after Vinod Kambli to score 3 hundreds in 3 consecutive innings against 3 different teams at 3 different venues.

• 140 vs Flag of Sri Lanka at Karachi.
• 100 vs Flag of Bangladesh at Rawalpindi.
• 100* vs Flag of England at Manchester.

 

[Grunge101]

Misbah thought that Azhar Ali was the reincarnation of himself, when actually it was Shan Masood all along.

A limited player of moderate ability, but intelligent, hardworking, and always analysing how to improve himself. And educated.

There’s a lot to admire in Shan Masood.

Spot on.. Not to forget the grit.. Hes probably the most resilient batsman ive seen from Pakistan in recent times.. Failure after failure, getting dropped.. Yet he keeps making improvements, making comebacks and is now finally reaping the rewards.

 

[sweep_shot]

He is being very effective for Pakistan in Test format. Technique isn't the best but he hangs in there like a rock.

 

[Rayyman]

Best opener in the world.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shan Masood's last three innings in Tests:<br><br>135<br>100<br>100*<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/StAotwTeaI">pic.twitter.com/StAotwTeaI</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1291365573046263808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Firebat]

Shan Masood brings up his 3rd successive century:

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[coy0607]

Shan Masood False Shot percentage in this Test… (source Sky)

1st day, Morning – 26 per cent
1st day, Afternoon – 17 per cent
1st day, evening – 17 per cent
2nd day, morning – 11 per cent

Would love to see that number for Day 2 - Session 2. He's looked like a different batsmen batting with Shadab, very very confident now

 

[tyron_woodley]

The last Pakistan opening batsman before Shan Masood to last 200+ balls in a Test in England was Saeed Anwar at the Oval in 1996 (176 off 264 balls).

that is insane. Shan looks so comfortable. I don't know what this boy is on but he is just brilliant. What a beautiful performance by Shan.

Looks effortless. He comfortably pulls joffra away with relative ease. Makes it look simple.

Only a true test fan can enjoy this innings. Absolutely brilliant. Blunted the new ball and played an amazing attritional type of cricket innings.

 

[Firebat]

150 up for Shan in the last over before tea. His career high score, wonderful innings,

 

[TeymurBlake]

He's batting well.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Great character shown by him. One of my favourite Pakistani cricketers

Character is a trait which is almost as important as strokeplay. Compare Shan's range of strokes with one time golden boy Umar Amin. Shan doesn't even have 50% of the shots Umar has, but who would you back to get a 50 in an important game?

Shan might not have much of a range of shots, but he gets maximum value from what he has got.

 

[Slog]

Character is a trait which is almost as important as strokeplay. Compare Shan's range of strokes with one time golden boy Umar Amin. Shan doesn't even have 50% of the shots Umar has, but who would you back to get a 50 in an important game?

Shan might not have much of a range of shots, but he gets maximum value from what he has got.

And has the willingness and determination to own upto his mistakes and try to want to improve as much as he can.

When he was dropped I never heard him make any mistake whereas Umar Amin who you just referenced said he was ‘unfairly treated’ in a PP interview last week only.

If only someone of the others had his drive they would’ve been greats for Pakistan

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Shan Masood, the man for change.

This might make more sense to some now, and many might label me as a fickle fan who worships the rising sun.
So to address all of these voices, I have had this opinion for a while; much before he permanently established himself in the test team.
Now that Shan has played a career defining innings, it makes sense to makes these calls louder.

This guy is not only one of the hardest working cricketers in the world, if not in Pakistan, but he is also the smartest Pakistani cricketer that you will ever see.
Pakistan cricket's landcape has been riddled with talented but not so bright cricketers, and the captains over the years have also shared the same problem.
They have been fearful, lacking in ideas, and downright ancient in their thinking.

In such a scenario, Shan is a Godsend for us.
He is someone who believes in modern methods, is a cultured cricketer who believes in the prestige of test cricket, who has a story of redemption and reconstruction of his cricketing make-up ala Imran and his bowling action change.

He may not be the most talented player you have ever seen, but all the other aforementioned qualities are pretty much a novelty for a Pakistani cricketer in the modern age.
I seriously believe, bringing him in as captain can change our rotten cricket culture akin to how Kohli has done with India.

Having personally interacted with him during one of his evening gym sessions during Ramadan (we share the same gym and he is in there at freakin 7am usuall), I have to tell you that he is the most articulate cricketer you will ever come across.

 

[Slog]

Ever seen or rather heard a more articulate Pakistani cricketer?
He is a godsend for us. If he becomes test captain, our entire outlook will change.
He will have a similar impact in modernizing the culture to what Kohli has done with India.

Yes, But more than articulate what really impressed me is just the effort he has put in and how much he thinks about the game. I don’t think that talent wise and shot range wise he’s even in the top 5 openers who have played for us in the past decade but with his work ethic, humility and willingness to learn he’s arguably played on of the best overseas innings by an opener for us in that period.

I really hope he can have a bumper series and follow up with a couple of more series. Then he can be appointed captain without constant doubts over his place and the way he got it.

He can then really have the kind of impact that Kohli had in terms of changing culture and introducing fitness and competitiveness. But he can only seriously take a crack at it when he is one of the top performers for a while and players have no option but to follow his lead. Otherwise they will obviously plot against him and PCB will be put under pressure.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Yes, But more than articulate what really impressed me is just the effort he has put in and how much he thinks about the game. I don’t think that talent wise and shot range wise he’s even in the top 5 openers who have played for us in the past decade but with his work ethic, humility and willingness to learn he’s arguably played on of the best overseas innings by an opener for us in that period.

I really hope he can have a bumper series and follow up with a couple of more series. Then he can be appointed captain without constant doubts over his place and the way he got it.

He can then really have the kind of impact that Kohli had in terms of changing culture and introducing fitness and competitiveness. But he can only seriously take a crack at it when he is one of the top performers for a while and players have no option but to follow his lead. Otherwise they will obviously plot against him and PCB will be put under pressure.

InshaAllah i do see this happening.
Btw, I created a thread for this. Post your views over there.

 

[Slog]

He needs 3-4 more big successful series to be in any contention. Right now his pedigree is not as good. And he hasn’t been around for a long while either.

The type of changes in culture you want him to make would require a captain who’s place in the team is beyond reproach otherwise there would be intrigues by our players to remove him.

The Pakistani cricket culture is toxic and can
End careers. They successfully removed Younis Khan all those years ago so making Shan Masood Captain right now would be like putting lambs to the slaughter.

 

[CricketingMinds]

For Pakistan, that is what I'd love for our youngsters (athletes & non-athletes) to follow:
The Shan Masood framework: hard work, humility, strategic and process-oriented.

Even the great MS Dhoni famously said: "Focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves"

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

He needs 3-4 more big successful series to be in any contention. Right now his pedigree is not as good. And he hasn’t been around for a long while either.

The type of changes in culture you want him to make would require a captain who’s place in the team is beyond reproach otherwise there would be intrigues by our players to remove him.

The Pakistani cricket culture is toxic and can
End careers. They successfully removed Younis Khan all those years ago so making Shan Masood Captain right now would be like putting lambs to the slaughter.

You make very good points.
I think it is going to be a natural process. Those 3, 4 successfull series are going to come and at the same time, calls for Azhar to hang his boots are going to get stronger.
The only problem is if they consider Babar for this role, which will be a blunder.
I think Shan winning a PSL can also help his case a lot.

 

[sweep_shot]

He has been quite impressive.

Very humble and hardworking. Loves to stay behind the scene. No controversy. No stupid celebration.

This is how a modern day cricketer should be.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

For Pakistan, that is what I'd love for our youngsters (athletes & non-athletes) to follow:
The Shan Masood framework: hard work, humility, strategic and process-oriented.

Even the great MS Dhoni famously said: "Focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves"

That will only happen if and when he is in a position of great influence; in other words, the captain.

 

[MenInG]

Mike Atherton has caught up with man-of-the-moment SHAN MASOOD this morning on his fine hundred...

"It was satisfying yesterday, especially when you help the team to post a decent total on the board. The onus was on me and Babar [Azam] that once we got settled, on of us had to go on and carry the team.

"I got some fortune along the way, lost a couple of partners yesterday morning when England bowled well, but the key was to hang around for as long as possible.

"England is one of the toughest places to play for a batsman. That matters a lot, and for a lot the great players in the current game - they've had to prove their mettle here."

 

[Bhaijaan]

I feel sad for Shan Masood, he let this one go aftywr delivering an ATG level performance in first inning.

Had he hit 50 runs in second inning, it would have helped Pakistan win this test.

He would have been man of the match and be remembered for single handedly winning this test match.

Now he will rue this opportunity, letting Chris Woakes walking away with the honours even though neither his bowling nor batting performance was anywhere near what Masood produced in the first inning with the bat.

Such a shame

Learn from this and be ruthless next time.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

I feel sad for Shan Masood, he let this one go aftywr delivering an ATG level performance in first inning.

Had he hit 50 runs in second inning, it would have helped Pakistan win this test.

He would have been man of the match and be remembered for single handedly winning this test match.

Now he will rue this opportunity, letting Chris Woakes walking away with the honours even though neither his bowling nor batting performance was anywhere near what Masood produced in the first inning with the bat.

Such a shame

Learn from this and be ruthless next time.

He was simply unlucky in 2nd innings. That's why I commented earlier as well that he has been unlucky in the past too and in his last innings It was one of the rare occasions that he was actually lucky and got a couple reprieves.

He deserves to be persisted with. Infact, he should replace Azhar useless Ali as captain immediately.

 

[Bhaijaan]

He was simply unlucky in 2nd innings. That's why I commented earlier as well that he has been unlucky in the past too and in his last innings It was one of the rare occasions that he was actually lucky and got a couple reprieves.

He deserves to be persisted with. Infact, he should replace Azhar useless Ali as captain immediately.

No doubt, after run out, hit wicket, this has to be one of the worst ways of getting out.

Reminds of Tendulkar's golden duck to Brett Lee at MCG in 2004. It felt so wrong. But that's cricket.

I am very impressed by Shan, i really wished he got the win and the man of the match. That knock would have been remembered even more fondly.

 

[The Viper]

Shan Masood has moved 14 spots to rank #19 in the ICC Test batting Ranks.

 

[shamaan]

Needs to carry the form into the next 2 matches only player who can stay at the crease for long periods

 

[ManFan]

Everyone, do not raise your hopes.

Shan was dropped and missed off a stumping early on. He simply got lucky.

Will repeat his mediocrity in the near future.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Everyone, do not raise your hopes.

Shan was dropped and missed off a stumping early on. He simply got lucky.

Will repeat his mediocrity in the near future.

Ok.
Thankyou for educating us with your wizardry.

 

[sweep_shot]

Even though Shan got lives during his innings, he capitalized and scored a great knock. He has been the best batsman so far.

Shan 2.0 seems to be on the right track.

 

[ManFan]

Ok.
Thankyou for educating us with your wizardry.

I would be happy to be proven wrong. I don’t care about my online reputation as a cricketing Nostradamus.

But his career shows us that he simply doesn’t know where his off-stump is.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

I would be happy to be proven wrong. I don’t care about my online reputation as a cricketing Nostradamus.

But his career shows us that he simply doesn’t know where his off-stump is.

You have already been proven wrong
He left the ball better than any overseas opener in the last 3,4 years.

 

[ManFan]

You have already been proven wrong
He left the ball better than any overseas opener in the last 3,4 years.

I’ll be proven wrong when he scores another century in the series.

When he does so, I’ll message you saying, “I was wrong about Shan Masood and you were right”.

Fair enough?

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

I’ll be proven wrong when he scores another century in the series.

When he does so, I’ll message you saying, “I was wrong about Shan Masood and you were right”.

Fair enough?

Hahaha. What if he gets a 90?
Was his dismissal in the 2nd innings because of not knowing his off stump?
Even Yasir has a hundred to his name. So getting a hundred is no yardstick.
It is all about how he plays qnd whether his contributions are good enough.
He already has one big hundred. The law of averages does catch up although i do expect him to get another good score.

In the next game, i expect England to attack his pads and it remains to be seen if he can alleviate that dismissal the same way like he has with the outside edge.
But in the long term he is always going to be someone who constantly updates his technique to overcome his flaws and is going to come up with strong and impactful performances.

 

[ManFan]

Hahaha. What if he gets a 90?
Was his dismissal in the 2nd innings because of not knowing his off stump?
Even Yasir has a hundred to his name. So getting a hundred is no yardstick.
It is all about how he plays qnd whether his contributions are good enough.
He already has one big hundred. The law of averages does catch up although i do expect him to get another good score.

In the next game, i expect England to attack his pads and it remains to be seen if he can alleviate that dismissal the same way like he has with the outside edge.
But in the long term he is always going to be someone who constantly updates his technique to overcome his flaws and is going to come up with strong and impactful performances.

Obviously, a “century” is a phrase for a meaningful score.

The trouble with Shan is he has all the tools but simply cannot resist chasing outside-off.

His leg-side dismissal was unfortunate and I hope he provides Pakistan with excellent starts.

But his history and numbers suggest he is inconsistent. We will see.

 

[MenInG]

Lazy shot from Masood in 2nd innings - should have known better - else he has the grit to hang in there which I like. Could he be Pakistan's next Test captain?

 

[DandyFellow]

Lazy shot from Masood in 2nd innings - should have known better - else he has the grit to hang in there which I like. Could he be Pakistan's next Test captain?

Another test hundred in the next 2 tests will certainly help his cause. We will have to see if he is consistent too. I feel he was unlucky in the 2nd innings because personally I always felt legside glances as a reflex action. He is captaincy material but he needs to show some consistency with the bat. All the best to him.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

Another test hundred in the next 2 tests will certainly help his cause. We will have to see if he is consistent too. I feel he was unlucky in the 2nd innings because personally I always felt legside glances as a reflex action. He is captaincy material but he needs to show some consistency with the bat. All the best to him.

I highly doubt he will get another hundred. Moving forward, conditions are only going to get tougher for the batsmen. Plus, England coaching staff is brilliant in exploiting any weakness a player has and I'm sure they're analysing his batting as we speak.

Masood is a very strong leg side player. But he has been working on leaving anything outside offstump so much that he has become a little weak on his leg side game. That's why we saw him get out LBW in the practice games, in the first innings and caught down the leg side in the 2nd innings. I'm sure he himself is aware of it & will be looking to rectify this.

 

[DandyFellow]

I highly doubt he will get another hundred. Moving forward, conditions are only going to get tougher for the batsmen. Plus, England coaching staff is brilliant in exploiting any weakness a player has and I'm sure they're analysing his batting as we speak.

Masood is a very strong leg side player. But he has been working on leaving anything outside offstump so much that he has become a little weak on his leg side game. That's why we saw him get out LBW in the practice games, in the first innings and caught down the leg side in the 2nd innings. I'm sure he himself is aware of it & will be looking to rectify this.

It would be quite difficult but openers often get out early due to swinging conditions. They have to make it count whenever they settle. Atleast the next 2 out of 4 innings should be above par even if they are 2 50s or a hundred but some consistency would be great. He should not fail 5 out of 6 innings.

 

[GreenKhan]

I’ll be proven wrong when he scores another century in the series.

When he does so, I’ll message you saying, “I was wrong about Shan Masood and you were right”.

Fair enough?

Why does he have to score another century . There are other players in the team. He has already proven his credentials. He averages 48 since his return and that includes 6 tests in SENA.

What we don’t want to see obviously is a string of low scores for the remainder of the series as that would undo his work that he has done since his comeback . But further good innings with another 50 or two will be a fantastic return .

He has already exceeded almost all the other overseas openers that have toured England since 2017 .

He just needs to build on it now . But for us to expect another 100 whilst others fail around him is plain foolish and unfair .

He was remarkable in that first innings . 7.5 hours of pure grit and determination, and then eventually he started flourishing . It was fantastic .

 

[ManFan]

Why does he have to score another century . There are other players in the team. He has already proven his credentials. He averages 48 since his return and that includes 6 tests in SENA.

What we don’t want to see obviously is a string of low scores for the remainder of the series as that would undo his work that he has done since his comeback . But further good innings with another 50 or two will be a fantastic return .

He has already exceeded almost all the other overseas openers that have toured England since 2017 .

He just needs to build on it now . But for us to expect another 100 whilst others fail around him is plain foolish and unfair .

He was remarkable in that first innings . 7.5 hours of pure grit and determination, and then eventually he started flourishing . It was fantastic .

It is essential to Pakistan’s chances that he score and see off the new ball.

He has scored but it was not very convincing early on. I’m just concerned his weakness outside-off will be exploited and it will doom Pakistan.

I like the guy and enjoy his performances since the SA tour but I can’t ignore his overall performance; mediocre.

 

[Firebat]

Pakistan have once again chosen to bat first. Shan got 156 when we batted first last week, hoping for more of the same today.

 

[Mamoon]

I think the gutsy, hardworking, intelligent and determined 0 and 1 in the last two innings have settled the argument. He should be the next Test captain.

 

[AdamM97]

Knee-jerk reactions. No one claimed that Shan was a world-class batsman in the first place. Still is one of the best openers Pakistan has at the moment.