- Joined
- Aug 29, 2023
- Runs
- 19,928
Pakistan captain, Shan Masood speaking during a Pakistan vs England post-match presentation ceremony:
"When you put 556 on the board, it's very important to back that up with 10 wickets and keep the game close. That's something we didn't do.
"If we take those 10 wickets and have England around our score, then the 220 runs we scored on a fifth day becomes challenging for them. That's the key.
"We've got to work things out as a team, how the batting and bowling in the first innings contribute to a lead and hopefully set the match up. That's something we're struggling with.
"As a team, we have to improve with our second innings batting but the most important thing, like I said, is learning how to take 20 wickets. That's the challenge going forward."
"Where I'd like the team to improve is, no matter what the pitch is like, we must find a way out. England showed us the way in this Test, you have to give huge credit to them.
"We're hurt by the result, hurt as a nation, but the beauty of the game is it always gives you another chance. The quick turnaround [to second Test] might be beneficial to us and we're looking forward to it.
"I never try to shy away from responsibility. What hurts is that we're not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. We are all trying hard, we're going to give it our all and try to turn this around."
Speaking during a Post Match Presser:
Pitch:
“There are things that are not in our control, like the pitch behavior, as I said earlier. We played last test match in Multan in 2022, it was a different pitch, prepared differently, and our squad was different, as was England's. Here we expected the pitch to start deteriorating quickly, around the end of day two or the start of day three. That's why we tried to extend our first innings as much as possible. But England taught us a lesson, a harsh reality that you need to find a way. They found a way and took 20 wickets. We can't say that 20 wickets can't be taken on this pitch.”
“The key point is that we need to find a way to succeed as a team. In Test cricket, the formula for winning is taking 20 wickets. We can't win a Test match without dismissing the entire opposing team twice. Our focus should be on taking those 20 wickets and scoring a competitive total in our first innings. These are the things we need to focus on, rather than just trying to save the match or avoid defeat. We need to find a way to win the match, and we'll only do that when we set up our batting and take 20 wickets with our bowling no matter what type of pitch it is."
Disappointment on losing the match:
"I don't think there can be more disappointment than losing a match, especially when you're representing Pakistan, whether as a player or a captain, it hurts a lot. In my six-match tenure as captain, we've repeated the same mistakes in Test matches. We set up the match, but then we let it slip from our grasp. This match was no different. When you score 550 runs and bat for two days, there's a human element that comes into play. The opposing team feels the pressure of the scoreboard, especially in these conditions. So, we need to find a way to capitalize on that and get back into the game.”
“As a team, we can't point fingers at any individual or institution. There are certain principles in red-ball cricket, and one of them is that if you want to win Test matches, you need to find a way to do so. You need to respond consistently to the conditions over the course of five days and find a way to win Test matches.”
About Batting Approach:
"This is not just a simple bat and ball contest. We're representing Pakistan, and we need to take responsibility for our performances. We can't just blame the conditions or the pitch. We need to analyze our game and see where we're going wrong. If we're batting first in a Test match, especially in conditions like these, we need to post a big first innings score. And then, we need to keep the opposing team to a score that's around our total or slightly higher. We can't let them get too far ahead.”
“If we look at the pitch, it's not the same on day one as it is on day four or five. When England got the new ball, they had an opportunity to take the game away from us. The cracks were open, and it was a window of opportunity for them. We need to absorb those periods better and play better cricket. We've had these lapses before.”
”In conditions like these, we need to set up a big total in the first innings and then try to take wickets in a way that allows us to drive the game forward in the third innings. The 220 runs we scored in the second innings, if we had a 50-run lead or even a 50-run deficit, then chasing 170 in the last 2 sessions of the last day would have been a different story.”
About Mistakes:
"We've played three times in Pakistan, and if we look at the pitches, conditions, and situations, we can see that we're not doing enough. If we look at the first innings scores, 450-6 declared, 274, 556; these are good scores considering the pitches. But we need to find a way to combine our batting and bowling efforts in the first innings to stay in the game and then drive it forward.”
“We can identify many things that went wrong, like Harry Brook and Joe Root's partnership, Abdullah Shafique and I scored 100 and 150, and Babar Azam's dismissal, Mohammad Rizwan, our consistent run-getter, couldn't perform, we didn't take wickets when we needed to. When the new ball came, we didn't get a wicket. If we had taken a wicket at that time, the game might have been different.”
“We can identify these mistakes easily, but now our job is to learn from them. We can't just keep repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."
Abrar Ahmed’s injury:
“Abrar Ahmed's condition is not good, and he's hospitalized. Our prayers are with him, and we hope he recovers soon and gets back to playing cricket.”
About Spinner’s backup:
“We'll reflect on today's mistakes and see what we could have done better. We'll talk to the ground staff and see what conditions they're preparing for the next Test. We weren't in Multan before the first Test, and the Champions Cup was going on, so we didn't have much involvement in preparing the pitches. But we'll discuss it with them and see what conditions they're preparing. We'll try to select the best combination for the second Test, considering the requirements of the pitch and conditions.”
Babar Azam’s form:
“We're trying to build a squad mentality, especially in Test cricket, where we don't play as many matches. We need to give players opportunities and plenty of chances. There's no doubt that Babar Azam is one of Pakistan's best batter. We always have faith that our best batter will come good and is just one innings away. Our thought process is still the same, and we'll reflect on today's performance and see what we can do better. We'll try to put out the best combination for the second Test and fulfill the requirements of the pitch and conditions."
Learnings from this game:
"The harsh reality is that England found a way, and we could not. After two days of being under the sun and then losing 10 wickets to give them a chance to bat, they came back strong. When they returned with the ball, they had a plan and took advantage of the second innings with the new ball and the opening cracks. They executed their plans very well. So, the harsh reality of Test cricket is that no matter what the pitch is like, quality sides will find a way, and England did that."
About weak Mentality:
"I will not say that my team is weak mentally. The third inning may seem like a collapse, and everything went wrong. But if we had kept England close to our score, which we thought we did a good job with the bat in the first innings, then the 220 runs we scored today could have made a difference. Anything over 150 on the final day on any kind of pitch requires a proper chase."
"When you put 556 on the board, it's very important to back that up with 10 wickets and keep the game close. That's something we didn't do.
"If we take those 10 wickets and have England around our score, then the 220 runs we scored on a fifth day becomes challenging for them. That's the key.
"We've got to work things out as a team, how the batting and bowling in the first innings contribute to a lead and hopefully set the match up. That's something we're struggling with.
"As a team, we have to improve with our second innings batting but the most important thing, like I said, is learning how to take 20 wickets. That's the challenge going forward."
"Where I'd like the team to improve is, no matter what the pitch is like, we must find a way out. England showed us the way in this Test, you have to give huge credit to them.
"We're hurt by the result, hurt as a nation, but the beauty of the game is it always gives you another chance. The quick turnaround [to second Test] might be beneficial to us and we're looking forward to it.
"I never try to shy away from responsibility. What hurts is that we're not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. We are all trying hard, we're going to give it our all and try to turn this around."
Speaking during a Post Match Presser:
Pitch:
“There are things that are not in our control, like the pitch behavior, as I said earlier. We played last test match in Multan in 2022, it was a different pitch, prepared differently, and our squad was different, as was England's. Here we expected the pitch to start deteriorating quickly, around the end of day two or the start of day three. That's why we tried to extend our first innings as much as possible. But England taught us a lesson, a harsh reality that you need to find a way. They found a way and took 20 wickets. We can't say that 20 wickets can't be taken on this pitch.”
“The key point is that we need to find a way to succeed as a team. In Test cricket, the formula for winning is taking 20 wickets. We can't win a Test match without dismissing the entire opposing team twice. Our focus should be on taking those 20 wickets and scoring a competitive total in our first innings. These are the things we need to focus on, rather than just trying to save the match or avoid defeat. We need to find a way to win the match, and we'll only do that when we set up our batting and take 20 wickets with our bowling no matter what type of pitch it is."
Disappointment on losing the match:
"I don't think there can be more disappointment than losing a match, especially when you're representing Pakistan, whether as a player or a captain, it hurts a lot. In my six-match tenure as captain, we've repeated the same mistakes in Test matches. We set up the match, but then we let it slip from our grasp. This match was no different. When you score 550 runs and bat for two days, there's a human element that comes into play. The opposing team feels the pressure of the scoreboard, especially in these conditions. So, we need to find a way to capitalize on that and get back into the game.”
“As a team, we can't point fingers at any individual or institution. There are certain principles in red-ball cricket, and one of them is that if you want to win Test matches, you need to find a way to do so. You need to respond consistently to the conditions over the course of five days and find a way to win Test matches.”
About Batting Approach:
"This is not just a simple bat and ball contest. We're representing Pakistan, and we need to take responsibility for our performances. We can't just blame the conditions or the pitch. We need to analyze our game and see where we're going wrong. If we're batting first in a Test match, especially in conditions like these, we need to post a big first innings score. And then, we need to keep the opposing team to a score that's around our total or slightly higher. We can't let them get too far ahead.”
“If we look at the pitch, it's not the same on day one as it is on day four or five. When England got the new ball, they had an opportunity to take the game away from us. The cracks were open, and it was a window of opportunity for them. We need to absorb those periods better and play better cricket. We've had these lapses before.”
”In conditions like these, we need to set up a big total in the first innings and then try to take wickets in a way that allows us to drive the game forward in the third innings. The 220 runs we scored in the second innings, if we had a 50-run lead or even a 50-run deficit, then chasing 170 in the last 2 sessions of the last day would have been a different story.”
About Mistakes:
"We've played three times in Pakistan, and if we look at the pitches, conditions, and situations, we can see that we're not doing enough. If we look at the first innings scores, 450-6 declared, 274, 556; these are good scores considering the pitches. But we need to find a way to combine our batting and bowling efforts in the first innings to stay in the game and then drive it forward.”
“We can identify many things that went wrong, like Harry Brook and Joe Root's partnership, Abdullah Shafique and I scored 100 and 150, and Babar Azam's dismissal, Mohammad Rizwan, our consistent run-getter, couldn't perform, we didn't take wickets when we needed to. When the new ball came, we didn't get a wicket. If we had taken a wicket at that time, the game might have been different.”
“We can identify these mistakes easily, but now our job is to learn from them. We can't just keep repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."
Abrar Ahmed’s injury:
“Abrar Ahmed's condition is not good, and he's hospitalized. Our prayers are with him, and we hope he recovers soon and gets back to playing cricket.”
About Spinner’s backup:
“We'll reflect on today's mistakes and see what we could have done better. We'll talk to the ground staff and see what conditions they're preparing for the next Test. We weren't in Multan before the first Test, and the Champions Cup was going on, so we didn't have much involvement in preparing the pitches. But we'll discuss it with them and see what conditions they're preparing. We'll try to select the best combination for the second Test, considering the requirements of the pitch and conditions.”
Babar Azam’s form:
“We're trying to build a squad mentality, especially in Test cricket, where we don't play as many matches. We need to give players opportunities and plenty of chances. There's no doubt that Babar Azam is one of Pakistan's best batter. We always have faith that our best batter will come good and is just one innings away. Our thought process is still the same, and we'll reflect on today's performance and see what we can do better. We'll try to put out the best combination for the second Test and fulfill the requirements of the pitch and conditions."
Learnings from this game:
"The harsh reality is that England found a way, and we could not. After two days of being under the sun and then losing 10 wickets to give them a chance to bat, they came back strong. When they returned with the ball, they had a plan and took advantage of the second innings with the new ball and the opening cracks. They executed their plans very well. So, the harsh reality of Test cricket is that no matter what the pitch is like, quality sides will find a way, and England did that."
About weak Mentality:
"I will not say that my team is weak mentally. The third inning may seem like a collapse, and everything went wrong. But if we had kept England close to our score, which we thought we did a good job with the bat in the first innings, then the 220 runs we scored today could have made a difference. Anything over 150 on the final day on any kind of pitch requires a proper chase."
Last edited:
no matter how mediocre a player he is. 
r dard ki dawa 
