Gaps between Tests should be taken into consideration, says
Pakistan’s under-fire Test captain Shan Masood has advised against pressing the panic button after the loss to Bangladesh in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Masood, who has been the Test captain since December 2023 and seen his team suffer 11 defeats in 15 games, said he would not offer excuses, but Pakistan was playing Tests after too many long gaps.
“Definitely there should be accountability, and everyone has to take responsibility, and I don’t believe in blaming anyone, but it is disappointing to lose the Test in this manner, as at one stage I felt we were in a position to get a draw,” Masood told a media conference in Dhaka.
“We played South Africa last year, nearly 12 months after hosting the West Indies at home. We came here to Bangladesh after a nearly six-month gap, so we have to take all these things into consideration. Just changing the team or dropping players or going in with only youngsters is not a solution at all,” he added.
He said like every captain he wanted to build a strong Test squad.
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Masood said that Pakistani players came into the Test after a Pakistan Super League season but that was no excuse.
“I think we are still in a position to draw the series, and we have to self-reflect so the series is not over, but as a modern-day cricketer, all players now have to adjust from white ball to red ball cricket formats.”
Masood was captain when Pakistan was swamped 2-0 in a series at home in 2024 by Bangladesh.
The Pakistan captain said that the silver lining in the defeat was the performance of the two debutant batters, Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal, who will only get better after more exposure.
“Abdullah was only told the night before the match he was playing the test, and he also got a knock on the head this morning in the nets but he showed a lot of composure the way he played today,” he added.
Published on May 12, 2026
