Pakistan’s Shan Masood Urged to Counter England’s Tactics with Bold Decisions
Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has advised national team captain Shan Masood to adopt a more aggressive approach in countering England’s tactics in the upcoming Test series. Ali’s suggestion comes after England announced their playing eleven two days before the start of the first Test in Multan.
Ali believes that Masood should have followed England’s lead and announced Pakistan’s team in advance. “It’s still not late,” he said. “Do it in the morning after assessing the pitch.”
Ali drew comparisons with India captain Rohit Sharma, who made bold decisions in the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. Despite rain washing out two days, India counter-attacked in their first innings and declared early to keep the game alive. India eventually won by seven wickets, sweeping the series 2-0.
“If you want to be brave like Rohit in captaincy, then make decisions,” Ali said. “If you take brave calls, then only you will win.”
Ali emphasized that Masood needs to instill confidence in his players and turn them into match-winners. “You don’t have a Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, or ‘Boom Boom’ Bumrah,” he said. “So raise the confidence level of those you have with you. Tell them ‘you are my match-winner.'”
Pakistan will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 0-2 whitewash at home against Bangladesh. The first Test against England begins in Multan on October 7.
