Pakistan produced a monumental performance against England in Multan to seal their first home Test victory in four years. The win also marked Masood’s first Test victory since being appointed captain.
“This win is imperative for Pakistan cricket,” Masood said. “Recent results have been unacceptable, and while there is relief, it’s important to remind ourselves that this is a long journey. It’s been three years and ten months since we last won a Test at home, which is not acceptable for our cricketing standards. We take pride in our performance, and this result is an exciting step towards rebuilding.”
Following an innings defeat that seriously brought the captaincy into question, and sweeping changes by the new selection committee, dropped from the side were fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Replacing them were three others: Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali, all of whom hadn’t played first-class cricket since January. They warmed up on the same pitch as the first Test.
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Masood said that taking 20 wickets in Tests was more important, “Conditions in the fourth innings are only conducive for batting about 10 percent of the time. We need to prioritize combinations that help us secure those 20 wickets. A good first innings with the bat allows our bowlers to perform under less pressure”.
A turning point was marked when Ben Stokes called tails at the coin toss, which proved unlucky for him and England as luck did smile upon Pakistan. The spinners Sajid and Noman took all 20 wickets combined, a first since 1972 and only the second time in Pakistan’s history. England were bowled out in just 33.3 overs in their second innings.
“Today, our attention was only on taking eight wickets,” said Masood. “Since we have taken over, we have adopted the attitude of taking risks for results at any cost at the cost of defeats. The selection committee has one task before us: 20 wickets. We felt that play on a second-time-used pitch would help our spinners.”
Masood hailed Noman and Sajid for such an outstanding performance, saying their efforts were those of seasoned campaigners. “This sort of victory reflects the bold strategies that Pakistan went in with,” he said. This is just the second occasion that Pakistan has managed to take 20 wickets in a match under Masood’s watch.
Speaking to the media ahead of the third Test in Rawalpindi, Masood conceded: “I hope it turns, but Rawalpindi hasn’t always provided that. We’re banking on the sun for the pitch to dry out, but we’ll take a view once we see how the conditions pan out before the game.”
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