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Shan Masood in a post match presser after Test series lost against Bangladesh shared following thoughts regarding different queries:
Thoughts on underestimating the opposition and lessons learned from Bangladesh:
Opposition should never be underestimated bearing in mind what sort of cricket have they played and in which situation. They have made a comeback into the game from being 26/6 in this Test or in first Test when we had a lead of 240 runs over them after claiming their 5 wickets. So opposition needs to be credited here. So there were encouraging signs for us (in this series) but one can't make it (performance against Bangladesh) as a benchmark as they had like 3 batters in their line up who had played like 80 or more Test matches. Even Litton Das and Mehidy had played 40 Test matches before so we shall try to discover the same spirit in ourselves after getting that much exposure as a team in the red ball format.
Why you as a captain rested Naseem Shah despite the fact that he was completely fit?
I think you have to build stocks when it comes to fast bowling. We played 3 fast bowlers in this match and lost Mohammad Ali in the 1st Innings and Khurram Shahzad in the 2nd Innings. Unfortunately if I had it my way, I mean if I had the second opportunity then I would have split (playing with) Naseem and Shaheen between the two Tests. We have to be fair to both of them. Shaheen has played a lot of cricket in past years and Naseem has just come back from an injury and the last Test he played was against New Zealand in Karachi. So you have to look at the overall health of players and the big picture with a lot of matches coming ahead. Like we have domestic cups coming, then England Test matches, then series against South Africa and West Indies Test matches.
And then we also thought about keeping Naseem in the 12-man squad. We would have gone with 4 pacers in this Test too but then we decided against it and picked Mir Hamza over Naseem because of absence of Shaheen Afridi we were missing a left angle bowler in the side. So it is never easy to rest your two premier bowlers but we also thought about grooming other fast bowlers and how would you groom them without throwing them into the international circuit. So when you throw Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali and Khurram into the international circuit then that is the only way to develop them (for future challenges).
Reasons behind defensive field settings against Bangladesh in 2nd Test:
When Mehidy and Litton were batting we had our slippers and catchers in place. We looked at these batters' strengths too (for setting field). I know to deploy fielders at backward point appears to be a bit defensive but it was not a defensive setting as both these players play a lot of shots in that area so this also increases the probability of hitting the ball straight to the fielders there. So for us these were just catching positions and also we didn't want to concede boundaries when our bowlers were attacking. So there was some thought to it (the particular fielding setup).
Where did you think you lost the match?
Unfortunately, we didn't have a bowler available today ie Khurram. We also tried a lot of things today (to bowl Bangladesh out) but I think we lost the match at 26/6 juncture where we failed to claim another wicket quickly. Talking about today, some things didn't went our way like dropping of catches even we put fielders in unorthodox positions to claim wickets. Mir Hamza and Mohammad Ali both bowled 15 overs spell and tried to cover the load of the third missing fast bowler. Abrar also bowled from the other end. So we could say (we lost because) we were short of runs or we would have brought the intensity that we displayed today earlier. The way we conceded 42 runs in 7 overs yesterday, we need to ponder and work over it (to avoid the same in future).
Is lack of much red ball cricket the reason behind this series fiasco?
Test cricket is ultimate format of the game and you do need experience in it. One need to just extract the data regarding the overall number of Test matches played by this (current Pakistan) team and after how big a gap we do normally play. I believe as a nation we need to work and ponder over it. So we need to play more red ball cricket in our domestic circuit for improvements. So whichever format you want to play, you need players of that format before. For instance, you can't play a Test player in a T20 format and expect better results.
How much say do you have as a captain in the team selection process and would you apologize for this series defeat?
Very grateful to team management here as we select team after taking into account every facet of the game. That is why one would have observed that we were too clear regarding our playing XI in the first Test. In the 2nd Test, we took our time and declared playing XI late as the match was supposed to get shortened to four days owing to rain. Also we had to make a decision regarding going with four pacers or include a spinner instead (as the fourth bowling option). So definitely, I have a say in selection process and there is great deal of flexibility too in this process. So we try our level best to select best possible playing XI but we would err too occasionally as after all we are all humans. So as a captain, I would take the responsibility for team's failure and will apologize to the nation again as I did before after the 1st Test defeat. But we need to bear in mind that our common goal should be to improve our cricket and we all should work towards achieving that goal.
For how long you will keep experimenting and how much time do you guys need as a team to learn lessons from your mistakes?
Firstly we are trying hard and again I would say that losing is unacceptable. We can't give any excuse on whether why we lost this series. We certainly made mistakes but trust me speaking solely regarding Test side here that we are constantly deliberating on improving our cricket as a team. We tried to change playing conditions for ourselves to achieve this goal. We made changes in the squad and playing XI for it. We even changed our playing style to achieve this goal. So the thing is whenever you try something new it takes team to bear fruits and in the process you face failures too. So our main goal is to take things in the right direction and we are working on it.
For how long would you keep supporting Babar Azam?
You talk about Babar Azam or any other player they won't perform better until we give them consistent opportunities. The thing I want to mention here is that currently no red ball cricket session is in play anywhere in Pakistan so how can you pick a player suggesting that he is in top form and we should replace it with a particular player. Currently, we have such a Test squad team that we took to the Australian Test tour before and was also part of a successful domestic season. If there had been any red ball cricket going on currently then we would have easily employed a policy to replace certain players who needed rest with the best performers of domestic red ball cricket.
On goal of improving Test side:
We won't play Test cricket well as long we don't fulfil and follow the requirements of this format and that thing also got reflected in our current results. So our current endeavors should be aimed at improving our Test side overall bearing in mind the upcoming Test sessions and Test matches. We need to build our stock of bowlers, develop our batters and work towards improving overall as a side because Test cricket format is always tough and no match is ever going to be easy for you.
On sharing any thoughts with Babar Azam regarding his current poor form to assist him:
For any batsman, runs is a currency and it contributes to fluctuation in mood of a batter. Babar Azam as a batsman has scored so many runs across all formats, infact it had become a habitual affair for him so whenever you come across a rough patch (in form) it plays a bit in your mind. But I think as a batter you can't control the runs on a particular day but you can control your thought process and hardwork. And as Babar is the most hard working among us so I am pretty sure he would cope with this situation well so it is just a matter of time for him but the sooner he copes it, the better it would be for our team.
How will you win back the support of dejected PCT fans?
The best thing to play for Pakistan is the love you receive from fans. And I haven't seen any decline in it but you could say that there is a sentiment of displeasure with us among fans. If your son ever fails to produce the desired results in exams then you would be disappointed with him but you would never abandon him. So we have always received love from the fans and we would keep receiving it. The fans still come in big numbers to stadium just to get an autograph and selfie with players. So as a player this thing is always a great deal of honor for us.
Thoughts on changing pitch conditions for home Test series:
We tried to change pitch conditions for our home Tests and that didn't work for us. But if we had prepared flat wickets and won the series against Bangladesh or against England in future. Then everybody would have taunted us that they won on the back of flat pitches. But from this we have got an idea where we need to improve ourselves and skill wise we had shown great display.
Why team morale of Pakistan team appeared weak in current Tests:
I don't think our morale was down and also you can't question our efforts but could question our execution of plans. Especially one could question our inadequate execution of our skill sets in situations where we were losing the match. Conditions for teams playing in a Test match are never the same. Sometimes your team would bat the first day, the other team won't. Likewise one day your team would bowl and the other won't. So I don't think there was any issue of lack of morale or efforts from our side but it could be the improper execution of plans and skills that cost us the results.
Can we prepare spin friendly pitches for the England Test series:
Whenever you try to play Test cricket somewhere you always look at the opposition's (strengths), your own stocks and then you look at the cricket grounds. So we would wait for the schedule against England and then we will try to plan accordingly.
On Shaheen Afridi hand jerk incident and brawl with Jason Gillespie:
No there was no such thing like that (as people portrayed on social media). There was also something circulating on social media that I put hand on Shaheen's shoulder and he removed it in anger. I actually had put my hand on the exact spot where Shaheen had got hit by a ball from someone before.
There was also something like I got livid with Gillespie. Actually I wasn't angered at him but our ball had went out of the ground when Litton Das hit a six. It was our second new ball and was just eight overs old. But the ball that it got replaced with five minutes later was many overs old like 18-19 overs old. So I was complaining regarding it that officials should have given us a better new ball. So people twisted these plots into suggesting that I offered my resignation before Gillespie and entered into a physical brawl with Shaheen although there wasn't anything like that. So, we try our best to keep distance from social media especially during the period when we are playing matches.
Answer on other miscellaneous queries:
“I mean, extremely disappointed, especially when you start the home season, something we’ve all been very excited about. We waited 10 months for this opportunity. The story has been a bit of the same, like, Australia. We haven’t learnt our lessons"
“I think now it’s time where we’ve realised that where we thought we were playing good cricket in Australia and not finishing games. That’s something that we really need to work on,”
“I think two opportunities were here in both test matches where we could have bowled their side out, especially in this game, when they were 26 for 6, we let them back in the game, and that’s something that under my tenure happened consistently over four Test matches,”.
“Every opposition has its own qualities. Bangladesh’s quality was their discipline which was better than is. We need to look at what mistakes we made, and we made quite a few in the series. I think one thing that stands out is the demand for test cricket in terms of fitness, both mental and physical, it needs to be a four or five-day thing, and I think we have shown in this series that this is something we need to work on. One thing we need to accept is that when we play test matches 10 months later, we need to work on these things.”
“In the first match, we played four fast bowlers because we thought that there will be a lot of load on three bowlers and when we played three bowlers in the second test match, unfortunately, we were one bowler short in both innings. These are the things we need to look at, in the bowling department and the batting department. There's a story, even when I wasn't playing for Pakistan that in second innings, there's a bit of pressure on us and we collapse badly. We need to work on this. If you look at both first innings, both times we were batting first, both times the weather was same, and there was something in the pitch. In the first match, we scored 448, in the second match we scored 274. When they were 6 down for 26, that was the reflection of pitch. We batted first on that pitch and scored 274. So the positive signs that we have had a good start in batting and bowling, but over the 4-5 days, it comes down to your fitness, your mental toughness and these are the things Pakistan needs to work on.”
“Secondly, I accepted this job to make changes. My belief, and the team's belief, is to try things. If there's a question of security, I don't have any tension about it. My goal is that if I believe this team can go in this direction and play in this way, then if my failure also takes Pakistan in this direction, then I will be happy. Whatever time I get, I will utilize it by giving my full effort and thanking God for it.”
Thoughts on underestimating the opposition and lessons learned from Bangladesh:
Opposition should never be underestimated bearing in mind what sort of cricket have they played and in which situation. They have made a comeback into the game from being 26/6 in this Test or in first Test when we had a lead of 240 runs over them after claiming their 5 wickets. So opposition needs to be credited here. So there were encouraging signs for us (in this series) but one can't make it (performance against Bangladesh) as a benchmark as they had like 3 batters in their line up who had played like 80 or more Test matches. Even Litton Das and Mehidy had played 40 Test matches before so we shall try to discover the same spirit in ourselves after getting that much exposure as a team in the red ball format.
Why you as a captain rested Naseem Shah despite the fact that he was completely fit?
I think you have to build stocks when it comes to fast bowling. We played 3 fast bowlers in this match and lost Mohammad Ali in the 1st Innings and Khurram Shahzad in the 2nd Innings. Unfortunately if I had it my way, I mean if I had the second opportunity then I would have split (playing with) Naseem and Shaheen between the two Tests. We have to be fair to both of them. Shaheen has played a lot of cricket in past years and Naseem has just come back from an injury and the last Test he played was against New Zealand in Karachi. So you have to look at the overall health of players and the big picture with a lot of matches coming ahead. Like we have domestic cups coming, then England Test matches, then series against South Africa and West Indies Test matches.
And then we also thought about keeping Naseem in the 12-man squad. We would have gone with 4 pacers in this Test too but then we decided against it and picked Mir Hamza over Naseem because of absence of Shaheen Afridi we were missing a left angle bowler in the side. So it is never easy to rest your two premier bowlers but we also thought about grooming other fast bowlers and how would you groom them without throwing them into the international circuit. So when you throw Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali and Khurram into the international circuit then that is the only way to develop them (for future challenges).
Reasons behind defensive field settings against Bangladesh in 2nd Test:
When Mehidy and Litton were batting we had our slippers and catchers in place. We looked at these batters' strengths too (for setting field). I know to deploy fielders at backward point appears to be a bit defensive but it was not a defensive setting as both these players play a lot of shots in that area so this also increases the probability of hitting the ball straight to the fielders there. So for us these were just catching positions and also we didn't want to concede boundaries when our bowlers were attacking. So there was some thought to it (the particular fielding setup).
Where did you think you lost the match?
Unfortunately, we didn't have a bowler available today ie Khurram. We also tried a lot of things today (to bowl Bangladesh out) but I think we lost the match at 26/6 juncture where we failed to claim another wicket quickly. Talking about today, some things didn't went our way like dropping of catches even we put fielders in unorthodox positions to claim wickets. Mir Hamza and Mohammad Ali both bowled 15 overs spell and tried to cover the load of the third missing fast bowler. Abrar also bowled from the other end. So we could say (we lost because) we were short of runs or we would have brought the intensity that we displayed today earlier. The way we conceded 42 runs in 7 overs yesterday, we need to ponder and work over it (to avoid the same in future).
Is lack of much red ball cricket the reason behind this series fiasco?
Test cricket is ultimate format of the game and you do need experience in it. One need to just extract the data regarding the overall number of Test matches played by this (current Pakistan) team and after how big a gap we do normally play. I believe as a nation we need to work and ponder over it. So we need to play more red ball cricket in our domestic circuit for improvements. So whichever format you want to play, you need players of that format before. For instance, you can't play a Test player in a T20 format and expect better results.
How much say do you have as a captain in the team selection process and would you apologize for this series defeat?
Very grateful to team management here as we select team after taking into account every facet of the game. That is why one would have observed that we were too clear regarding our playing XI in the first Test. In the 2nd Test, we took our time and declared playing XI late as the match was supposed to get shortened to four days owing to rain. Also we had to make a decision regarding going with four pacers or include a spinner instead (as the fourth bowling option). So definitely, I have a say in selection process and there is great deal of flexibility too in this process. So we try our level best to select best possible playing XI but we would err too occasionally as after all we are all humans. So as a captain, I would take the responsibility for team's failure and will apologize to the nation again as I did before after the 1st Test defeat. But we need to bear in mind that our common goal should be to improve our cricket and we all should work towards achieving that goal.
For how long you will keep experimenting and how much time do you guys need as a team to learn lessons from your mistakes?
Firstly we are trying hard and again I would say that losing is unacceptable. We can't give any excuse on whether why we lost this series. We certainly made mistakes but trust me speaking solely regarding Test side here that we are constantly deliberating on improving our cricket as a team. We tried to change playing conditions for ourselves to achieve this goal. We made changes in the squad and playing XI for it. We even changed our playing style to achieve this goal. So the thing is whenever you try something new it takes team to bear fruits and in the process you face failures too. So our main goal is to take things in the right direction and we are working on it.
For how long would you keep supporting Babar Azam?
You talk about Babar Azam or any other player they won't perform better until we give them consistent opportunities. The thing I want to mention here is that currently no red ball cricket session is in play anywhere in Pakistan so how can you pick a player suggesting that he is in top form and we should replace it with a particular player. Currently, we have such a Test squad team that we took to the Australian Test tour before and was also part of a successful domestic season. If there had been any red ball cricket going on currently then we would have easily employed a policy to replace certain players who needed rest with the best performers of domestic red ball cricket.
On goal of improving Test side:
We won't play Test cricket well as long we don't fulfil and follow the requirements of this format and that thing also got reflected in our current results. So our current endeavors should be aimed at improving our Test side overall bearing in mind the upcoming Test sessions and Test matches. We need to build our stock of bowlers, develop our batters and work towards improving overall as a side because Test cricket format is always tough and no match is ever going to be easy for you.
On sharing any thoughts with Babar Azam regarding his current poor form to assist him:
For any batsman, runs is a currency and it contributes to fluctuation in mood of a batter. Babar Azam as a batsman has scored so many runs across all formats, infact it had become a habitual affair for him so whenever you come across a rough patch (in form) it plays a bit in your mind. But I think as a batter you can't control the runs on a particular day but you can control your thought process and hardwork. And as Babar is the most hard working among us so I am pretty sure he would cope with this situation well so it is just a matter of time for him but the sooner he copes it, the better it would be for our team.
How will you win back the support of dejected PCT fans?
The best thing to play for Pakistan is the love you receive from fans. And I haven't seen any decline in it but you could say that there is a sentiment of displeasure with us among fans. If your son ever fails to produce the desired results in exams then you would be disappointed with him but you would never abandon him. So we have always received love from the fans and we would keep receiving it. The fans still come in big numbers to stadium just to get an autograph and selfie with players. So as a player this thing is always a great deal of honor for us.
Thoughts on changing pitch conditions for home Test series:
We tried to change pitch conditions for our home Tests and that didn't work for us. But if we had prepared flat wickets and won the series against Bangladesh or against England in future. Then everybody would have taunted us that they won on the back of flat pitches. But from this we have got an idea where we need to improve ourselves and skill wise we had shown great display.
Why team morale of Pakistan team appeared weak in current Tests:
I don't think our morale was down and also you can't question our efforts but could question our execution of plans. Especially one could question our inadequate execution of our skill sets in situations where we were losing the match. Conditions for teams playing in a Test match are never the same. Sometimes your team would bat the first day, the other team won't. Likewise one day your team would bowl and the other won't. So I don't think there was any issue of lack of morale or efforts from our side but it could be the improper execution of plans and skills that cost us the results.
Can we prepare spin friendly pitches for the England Test series:
Whenever you try to play Test cricket somewhere you always look at the opposition's (strengths), your own stocks and then you look at the cricket grounds. So we would wait for the schedule against England and then we will try to plan accordingly.
On Shaheen Afridi hand jerk incident and brawl with Jason Gillespie:
No there was no such thing like that (as people portrayed on social media). There was also something circulating on social media that I put hand on Shaheen's shoulder and he removed it in anger. I actually had put my hand on the exact spot where Shaheen had got hit by a ball from someone before.
There was also something like I got livid with Gillespie. Actually I wasn't angered at him but our ball had went out of the ground when Litton Das hit a six. It was our second new ball and was just eight overs old. But the ball that it got replaced with five minutes later was many overs old like 18-19 overs old. So I was complaining regarding it that officials should have given us a better new ball. So people twisted these plots into suggesting that I offered my resignation before Gillespie and entered into a physical brawl with Shaheen although there wasn't anything like that. So, we try our best to keep distance from social media especially during the period when we are playing matches.
Answer on other miscellaneous queries:
“I mean, extremely disappointed, especially when you start the home season, something we’ve all been very excited about. We waited 10 months for this opportunity. The story has been a bit of the same, like, Australia. We haven’t learnt our lessons"
“I think now it’s time where we’ve realised that where we thought we were playing good cricket in Australia and not finishing games. That’s something that we really need to work on,”
“I think two opportunities were here in both test matches where we could have bowled their side out, especially in this game, when they were 26 for 6, we let them back in the game, and that’s something that under my tenure happened consistently over four Test matches,”.
“Every opposition has its own qualities. Bangladesh’s quality was their discipline which was better than is. We need to look at what mistakes we made, and we made quite a few in the series. I think one thing that stands out is the demand for test cricket in terms of fitness, both mental and physical, it needs to be a four or five-day thing, and I think we have shown in this series that this is something we need to work on. One thing we need to accept is that when we play test matches 10 months later, we need to work on these things.”
“In the first match, we played four fast bowlers because we thought that there will be a lot of load on three bowlers and when we played three bowlers in the second test match, unfortunately, we were one bowler short in both innings. These are the things we need to look at, in the bowling department and the batting department. There's a story, even when I wasn't playing for Pakistan that in second innings, there's a bit of pressure on us and we collapse badly. We need to work on this. If you look at both first innings, both times we were batting first, both times the weather was same, and there was something in the pitch. In the first match, we scored 448, in the second match we scored 274. When they were 6 down for 26, that was the reflection of pitch. We batted first on that pitch and scored 274. So the positive signs that we have had a good start in batting and bowling, but over the 4-5 days, it comes down to your fitness, your mental toughness and these are the things Pakistan needs to work on.”
“Secondly, I accepted this job to make changes. My belief, and the team's belief, is to try things. If there's a question of security, I don't have any tension about it. My goal is that if I believe this team can go in this direction and play in this way, then if my failure also takes Pakistan in this direction, then I will be happy. Whatever time I get, I will utilize it by giving my full effort and thanking God for it.”
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