Shan Masood Clears Babar’s Position Stays Unchanged Ahead of Australia Tour

Shan Masood, Pakistan’s new Test captain, spoke to the press before the team heads to Australia. He confirmed that Babar Azam, the star batter, won’t be changing his position.

“Babar Azam is our best batter and we won’t change his spot at number four,” Shan Masood said.

“We’ve had a great partnership, playing for Islamabad and winning matches together. We understand each other well.”

The team’s lineup seems set, with Imam ul Haq and Abdullah Shafique as openers and Shan at number three after Azhar Ali’s retirement.

Shan discussed having two wicketkeepers, Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

“Sarfaraz did well in the recent Test series against New Zealand, and Rizwan performed excellently in Australia in 2019. Rizwan can also play as a batter, so we’ll decide our combination for Australia accordingly.”

He praised Sarfaraz’s leadership, mentioning how he changed Pakistan’s Test cricket mindset. Shan highlighted Babar, Rizwan, and Sarfaraz as inspirations due to their experience.

Shan also spoke about the absence of Haris Rauf, noting the need for extra pace in Australia, similar to England’s fast bowler, Mark Wood.

“We wanted Haris Rauf for his speed, but since he’s unavailable, we’ll have to adapt.”

That covers the main points from Shan Masood’s press conference before Pakistan’s Test series in Australia.