- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 18 Oct 2024 02:40 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
PAK vs ENG, 2nd Test: Pakistan skipper Shan Masood breathed a sigh of relief after winning the first Test match as the skipper. Pakistan thrashed England by 152 runs in Multan on Friday. Star spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who were included in the team took all the wickets and played a huge role in England's defeat.
During the post-match presentation, Masood emphasized the victory and reckoned that this win came after a long time. The team had lost six consecutive Test matches under his guidance. Last month they suffered a humiliating series loss to Bangladesh at home.
"The first one is always special, it has come after some hard times. A lot has happened over the last week. You have to applaud the group. You can't doubt the effort. It'll be special for everyone. We were able to pick 20 wickets and post decent totals," Masood told broadcasters in the post-match presentation ceremony.
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He admitted how important it is to post a big first-innings total and then take 20 wickets and this is something which they weren't able to do for the most part in his term. In the series opener against the Ollie Pope-led side, they did post a mammoth target of 550 runs but failed to take wickets quickly.
The newly formed selection committee made some changes in the squad after losing the series opener. They made four changes in their playing XI and turned it spin-heavy. Masood acknowledged those changes and revealed that they changed their strategy for this match.
"A change of strategy. We tried green seamers against Bangladesh. We haven't played too much Test cricket in Multan. Noman and Sajid coming in, it's never easy, they looked like seasoned campaigners. Zahid didn't bowl much but he was there for the team and so was Jamal. Everyone chipped in. For Kami (Kamran Ghulam), it's never easy, we were all behind him, he looked like he belonged here," he concluded.