As Pakistan gears up for a busy cricketing schedule, Test team captain Shan Masood acknowledged that his side is still in search of the "ideal way" to play red-ball cricket on home soil that aligns with their style. Masood, who took over the Test captaincy from Babar Azam in November last year, has faced challenges in leading the team to success, particularly at home.
Under Masood's leadership, Pakistan endured a whitewash against Australia during an away Test series. In their last five-Test series, Pakistan has managed to secure just one victory, which came against Sri Lanka last year. This inconsistency has hindered Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in the last two cycles.
Pakistan's struggles at home have been particularly concerning, as they have lost their last three home Test series since their victory against South Africa in 2021. For Masood, establishing Pakistan as a dominant force in Test cricket begins with becoming a formidable side on their home turf. The captain recognizes that finding the right approach to red-ball cricket at home is crucial for their ambitions of reaching the WTC final and reestablishing their status as a top Test team.
"In Test cricket, which is the ultimate challenge in the game, you have to be familiar with certain conditions. Yes, we've been playing at home since 2019, but other teams have been playing on their home soils for much longer. We still have to decide what our best approach at home is," Masood said in the PCB podcast.
"If I'm being brutally honest, in home Test matches, because they've been played at different times of the year and against different nations, we still haven't found our ideal way of playing at home that suits our batting, bowling, and overall style. We need to determine what helps us win as a team. How can we create conditions that suit us more and put us in the driving seat, rather than just thinking about how we can cope with the opposition?" he added.
Pakistan have a jam-packed Test calendar ahead of them. They will face Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, kicking off on August 21 at Rawalpindi, with the second test scheduled to be held in Karachi on August 30.
After that, Pakistan will host five more Tests at home, against England and then the West Indies. In between, they will play a two-match Test series against South Africa as well.