Shan Masood 'relieved' after beating England: Much needed for Pakistan cricket

PAK vs ENG, 1st Test: Shan Masood was relieved after Pakistan secured the 152-run win over England to draw level in the series. Masood recorded his maiden win as their skipper after six losses on the trot.

In Short

• Pakistan beat England by 152 runs in the second Test in Multan
• Sajid Khan and Noman Ali picked up all 20 wickets
• Pakistan won their first home Test since February 2021

Shan Masood said that the victory over England in the second Test in Multan was much-needed for Pakistan cricket. On Friday, Masood recorded his first win as the national captain after six losses on the trot since taking over Babar Azam last year. Pakistan beat England by 152 runs to draw level in the three-match Test series.

After losing the first Test despite scoring over 550 in their first innings, Pakistan looked down and out. But Masood’s men made a strong comeback, recording their first Test win at home since February 2021. After the triumph, the captain put a strong emphasis on wanting to play positively, taking calculative risks to play enterprising Test cricket.

“This win was much-needed for Pakistan cricket. We had said that our results in the recent past were unacceptable. It’s a relief, for the cricketers and fans. Since I came in, I don’t think we have had a problem in taking risks. We have always tried to play for results,” Masood said in the post-match press conference.

Masood also talked about the rationale behind playing on a ‘used pitch’, giving their spin trio of Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali a fair chance to take advantage of the conditions.

“When the new selection committee came, we all sat together and our only concern was about taking 20 wickets. In my tenure, we only previously did this in Melbourne. Looking at the conditions, we felt that if we played on a used pitch and gave the spinners the advantage, we had a chance. Why not try something different?” Masood said.

Among the spinners, Sajid and Noman picked up all 20 wickets in the Test match. Sajid took a seven-wicket haul in the first innings, the 38-year-old Noman took eight wickets in the second.

"Credit goes to Noman and Sajid for their comeback - it looked like two seasoned campaigners bowling for Pakistan," Masood added.

Pakistan will be looking to claim the series when the third Test starts on Thursday, October 24 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.