- By Manik Sharma
- Thu, 07 Dec 2023 07:29 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
On the second day of the tour game against the Australian Prime Minister's XI, newly-appointed Test captain Shan Masood showed his batting brilliance by crafting a well-paced double century at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.
Shan recently opened up about the discussion he had with Babar Azam before assuming leadership and outlined his vision of fostering a team culture with multiple leaders in the dressing room.
“I had a conversation with him (Babar Azam) and it was about taking the team forward, how to take it forward, Babar’s own role, and I think what you’ll see in the future is that he’s going to be in this team as a leader and the goal is to build a culture where there are many leaders, not just one captain doing everything,” Masood was quoted as saying to Cricket Pakistan.
Babar Azam, the former captain across formats, stepped down just four days after Pakistan's exit from the World Cup, where they finished fifth. The team faced setbacks, losing five out of nine games, including an unexpected defeat against Afghanistan, prompting scrutiny of Babar's leadership.
Pakistan in their tour to Australia face a difficult challenge as they prepare for a three-match Test series, which has a huge significance in the context of the World Test Championship.
Pakistan is currently playing a warm up game ahead of their first test match match. After a good outing on Day 1, Pakistan declared their innings at 391-9 on Day 2, with Masood leading the charge with an unbeaten double century of 201 runs.
ALSO READ: Mohammed Shami, Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head Nominated For ICC Player Of The Month Award For November
In response, the Prime Minister’s XI openers, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris, provided a solid start with a 96-run partnership. However, Abrar Ahmed and Khurram Shahzad picked up a wicket each to put Pakistan in a good position. At stumps, the Prime Minister’s XI was at 149-2, trailing by 242 runs, with Cameron Green and Matt Renshaw at the crease.
The first Test of the series against Australia is scheduled to commence on December 14 in Perth, followed by the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the final Test in Sydney.
