LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Shan Masood, the national team’s test skipper, as the new Director of International Cricket. The announcement was made at a dinner recently hosted at the Prime Minister’s House, where PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the appointment.
Naqvi stated that Shan Masood would take on the role of Director International Cricket for the PCB, marking a significant step in his career.
Earlier, Masood had publicly backed Pakistan’s controversial strategy of preparing slow, spinning wickets for home test matches, even as the approach faced criticism. This policy came under scrutiny after Pakistan lost the second test to South Africa on Thursday, but Masood defended the decision, pointing to the overall success it had delivered.
Pakistan’s pitches have been deliberately prepared to assist their spin bowlers, with dry and deteriorating conditions seen as an advantage in recent home tests against teams like England, West Indies, and South Africa. Despite the setback in the second test against South Africa, Masood emphasized that the policy had worked well in previous matches, stating, “Look, it’s been four wins out of six since we’ve operated on these wickets.”
He acknowledged that while the wickets had improved over time, four wins out of six was a reasonable outcome, given that Pakistan had been in winning positions during the two test matches they lost. “Had we finished those games off it could easily have been six out of six,” he added.
Masood also highlighted the success against England and the West Indies, including a memorable 2-0 series win over England last October on spinning tracks, followed by a 1-1 draw against the West Indies in January.
Critics, however, have raised concerns that the focus on spin-friendly conditions could hinder the development of Pakistan’s fast bowlers, potentially affecting their competitiveness in overseas series.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s loss to South Africa, Masood spoke about the team’s missed opportunities, particularly when they had a 98-run lead with just two wickets remaining. “We had a great opportunity to close it out… but those last two wickets cost us dearly,” he said, stressing the importance of finishing strong in such conditions.
Masood also identified areas for improvement, particularly in lower-order batting and the ability to post big scores in the first innings. “We have a lot to work on when it comes to finishing the innings off, when it comes to the third innings of batting, and also when it comes to the first innings where we could have posted something north of 400, but we didn’t,” he added.
