The Pakistan cricket team was humiliated by England in the Multan Test, plunging them into the depths of cricket history. Despite reaching 556 runs in the first innings, Pakistan was defeated by an innings and 47 runs, making them the world’s first Test-playing nation to lose. The undesired piece of history will haunt the Pakistan team for years, but captain Shan Masood does not want the batters to bear the brunt of the responsibility. For Masood, if his batting unit scored more than 500 runs in the first innings, the bowlers needed to deliver 10 wickets, but they did not.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Masood stated that his team’s 220-run total in the second innings could have been better if the bowling unit had performed well in the first innings. “We discussed the third and fourth innings, but at the end of the day, it’s a team game. Everything has advantages or disadvantages as a team. When you put 550 on the board, you need to back it up with 10 wickets. 220 runs in the third inning, depending on the size of your lead, can be a good score. England found a way to take those 20 wickets. We must also discover a mechanism to accomplish this.
Pakistan also lost the home Test against Bangladesh 0-2 before the commencement of the England series, casting doubt on the team’s capacity to perform. After losing the first match of the series, Masood is eager to assist his team in finding a way to recover, and the only way for the captain to do so is to remain consistent.
Whatever the pitch, we must find a way out. England demonstrated that. Sometimes you get favorable conditions, and sometimes you don’t. Consistent performance is an absolute requirement in Test cricket. “We enjoy playing the game,” he remarked.
Masood’s biggest dissatisfaction with the result is that the team is unable to achieve the results that Pakistan deserves. “We are certainly devastated by the outcome, as a nation. I never try to avoid accountability. What hurts is that we are not seeing the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. “We’re trying to turn it around,” he said.