MULTAN – National Test team captain Shan Masood said that today’s victory was crucial, and vowed to perform similarly in next Test match against England in Rawalpindi.
Speaking at a press conference after the win against England in Multan, Shan Masood said that emotions are different with the first win. “We have been eager for this victory after going through a tough time over the last three years. We took 20 wickets in this Test and entered the match with a new strategy.”
He praised Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan for their excellent bowling, noting that the entire team contributed to the victory. “It wasn’t an easy decision to include Kamran Ghulam in place of the world number one batter, but he scored a brilliant century in the first innings,”.
He mentioned that there was a plan to make changes to the team for the series against England after the Bangladesh series.
“Every player played their role. Today’s win was very important for anyone who follows cricket. Since I became captain, I have never shied away from taking risks,” said Shan Masood.
The national captain acknowledged that problems could not be solved overnight.
The captain said, “We needed 20 wickets to win, and this will be the formula moving forward. I take criticism positively and learn from it. We are disappointed about losing the last two series, where we came very close,”.
Shan Masood emphasized that there is no greater honor than playing for one’s country.
“When the new selection committee came in, we all sat together and figured out how to take 20 wickets in a Test match. Credit goes to Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan. We will have to take risks; that’s the nature of Test cricket. It’s been 3 years and 11 months since Pakistan achieved this victory, and we are very happy,” said Shan.
England’s captain Ben Stokes remarked that Pakistan’s spinners performed exceptionally well.
“We dropped some crucial catches, and Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts bowled well. The pitch was not easy for batting,” he added.
