Pakistan captain Shan Masood stated that the team aims to achieve positive results in the upcoming three-match Test series against Australia. Shan Masood described the series as an opportunity to assess Pakistan’s position in the ICC World Test Championship.
The first Test between Australia and Pakistan will begin on Thursday, December 14 in Perth. Pakistan, who currently lead the WTC standings with a 100% winning record, aim to maintain their points percentage during the upcoming red-ball series.
Australia is the perfect place to start – Shan Masood
Speaking to reporters before the first game, Shan Masood emphasized the importance of the Test series and stated that every Test match and every point contributes to the two-year cycle.
“When we talk about the bigger picture, there is the World Test Championship. So in every test match, every point counts. And it’s a two-year cycle, so we have a lot of other test matches to play as well. So Australia is the perfect place to start. [the] It’s the perfect place to evaluate where we are as a team and go from there,” Masood said.
“It is better to look at the bigger picture as one side, look at the process, look at how we want to play cricket and take the results as a by-product. If we play good cricket for five days consistently, I am sure we will be on the right side of certain results. So for us right now, the question is how do we grow as a team, how do we move forward as a team. And if we do the right thing over a long period of time, we will be on the right side.”
We want to play attractive Test cricket – Shan Masood
Shan Masood expressed confidence in his team’s ability to play attractive Test cricket, highlighting the aim of playing good cricket and competing against the best.
“We want to move forward as a team, play attractive Test cricket and if the results come our way, yes. [that’s good]. But if they don’t, we will try to go back to the drawing board and try to rectify our mistakes, but I see a lot of potential on this side. There are many players who can take Pakistan forward. “For us, it’s about taking the bigger picture and playing good cricket and making sure we can compete against the best and this is the perfect opportunity.”
Pakistan will play the XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad.
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