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Shan Masood has undergone numerous rebirths and
reinventions throughout his career, but his most recent one as Pakistan’s Test
captain is arguably the most notable. It was unexpected that he was chosen to
succeed Babar Azam in a number of ways, not the least of which being that he
had only made one fifty since rejoining the Test team in the previous season,
having been away for almost two years. Or that previously in the year, after
being unexpectedly and similarly called up to the ODI team after almost four
years away, he was kept out of the starting eleven for a few matches due to
rumours of a tense relationship with the captain at the time, Babar.
But less than 24 hours from the side’s departure to
Australia, Masood chose to not see himself as that “sacrificial
lamb”.
“We see it as an opportunity,” he said,
echoing the words of his team director Mohammad Hafeez from Tuesday. “When
you haven’t done something before in your history, then you are given an
opportunity to go out there and try to change it. So that’s what we’re trying
to do, to get a positive result for Pakistan and in this World Test
Championship.
“And as far as being qurbaani ka bakra
(sacrificial lamb), the captaincy, playing as a player in the side, these are
all temporary things at the end of the day. As long as you are in that place,
or seat, you should relish the opportunity, enjoy it and try and take
responsibility, and give your best ability to the team.”
In spite of his sporadic foreign career, Masood has
accumulated considerable leadership experience. In the previous season, he
captained the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, guided Derbyshire in
the Twenty20 Blast, and, above all, guided Yorkshire in the County
Championship.
Despite not having scored much during his most recent
return to the Test team, he was a key component of Pakistan’s victory in the
series against Sri Lanka this summer. When Pakistan was one down, he
established the Pakistan Way, or aggressive tempo, to which they batted. Since
his return, nine innings have passed, a small and unremarkable sample size, but
that aggression has been evident. He is striking at around 78, but his average
is less than 25.
“I played the England home series, and then New
Zealand, and I personally understood my game is going one way,” he said.
“The way I played in first-class and county cricket, I wanted to do that
in international cricket. I contributed to the team playing in the right way in
Sri Lanka. I didn’t make a big score, but if I can take those contributions
towards bigger scores then it will be more impactful.”