Shan Masood Wants Pakistan To Play WTC Final: Shan Masood, the captain of the Pakistan National Cricket Team’s Test side, is looking to play in the final of the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship.
Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in a two-test series at home against Bangladesh in the coming weeks, the first Test of which will commence on August 21. This will be the start of a long run of international cricket for the nation.
The ongoing WTC cycle (2023/25) sees Pakistan sixth on the table with less than a year remaining before the final. Having played five games so far, the Men in Green have lost two and won three for 22 points (with a two-point deduction) and a points percentage of 36.66.
In the current cycle, the team will face Bangladesh at home, followed by three Tests against England at home. On Boxing Day (December 26), Pakistan will start a two-Test series against South Africa away, followed by two Tests against the West Indies at home in January 2025. That is the extent of Test cricket they will play in the next five or so months.
Shan Masood Wants Pakistan To Play WTC Final
With that in mind, Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood has said that he wants to play the WTC final and has laid out the requirements for his team to do so. By suggesting that they will have to win all their home games from this point, he said,
“We have to look at our position in the World Test Championship. Yes, it was sixth and seventh before. Yes, we would like to obviously play the final this time. So if you want to play in the finals, we have to win our home Test matches. If we have to win that, we have to take 20 wickets consistently. And obviously, our batters should score enough and give the bowlers time to take those 20 wickets.”
Massod was named captain of his country’s Test team in November 2023. Under his captaincy, Pakistan has only played a three-Test series against Australia away, getting whitewashed in the series Down-Under.
But the 34-year-old doesn’t only want his players to win but also play entertaining cricket so that the media and the fans praise them.
“You want your fans and media to write good things about the team. That’s why one of our focuses is to play cricket everyone enjoys watching. It’s a result-orientated business at the end of the day. You have to have results on your mind.” I feel it’s about playing good and exciting cricket.”
He continued.
Look, we all want Test cricket to be fun. Test cricket to be enjoyable, both for the fans and for us players. When we play Test cricket, we want to be excited about it and bring the same enthusiasm we do in any format. Our challenge is to get the right results and also play a brand of cricket that is consistent and exciting to everyone.”
Having played in the past two World Test Championship cycles, Pakistan has finished fifth and seventh, respectively. With them currently sixth in the standings, it might be unlikely that they will make it to the final, but they have a shot nonetheless.
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for Live Updates – Facebook & Instagram.
