Why Pakistan removed Shan Masood as Test captain

Last Updated on 1 hour ago by Charbel Coorey

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have removed Shan Masood as Test captain after a poor run of results. Under his leadership, Pakistan lost 12 of 16 Tests, including their last seven matches.

It was a wretched run of form, breaking records for all the wrong the reasons. No captain in history had previously lost 12 of their first 16 Tests, and the PCB felt the need for change.

In response, Babar Azam has been recalled as captain for Pakistan’s upcoming two-match series against West Indies.

Aaqib Javed on why the PCB has replaced Shan Masood as Test captain

Pakistan’s high-performance director Aaqib Javed said the team’s inability to close out matches was the key reason for their decision to end Masood’s tenure as captain. Across the 16 Tests, Pakistan found themselves in strong positions on numerous occasions, only to fall short.

“We saw many close Test matches [under Shan’s captaincy]. But a few things were not being addressed. Like the Centurion Test, South Africa’s two batters at No. 10 [for the tenth wicket] put on a 60-70 run partnership [51 runs]. The game was in our hands. Against the West Indies in Multan, in the second Test, the team was rolled over easily,” Aaqib said, as quoted by cricinfo.

“The captain has a responsibility of finishing games. Same with the South Africa Tests at home. Some things are the responsibility of the team, some are the responsibility of the selectors, and some are the responsibility of the captain. The captain’s responsibility also includes maintaining the team’s over rate, taking DRS decisions, making the right call at the toss.”

There are other examples, too. When Pakistan lost 2-0 to Bangladesh at home in 2024, the hosts declared on 448/6 in their first innings, only to then concede 565 and eventually lose by 10 wickets. In the second Test, Pakistan reduced Bangladesh to 26/6 in response to their 278. Bangladesh managed to cut the deficit to just 12 and eventually win by six wickets.

Babar is set to oversee a busy time for Pakistan cricket. They will travel to England for three Tests after the two-match series in the Caribbean, followed by home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka later in the year.

Pakistan will be hoping Babar’s reinstatement will spark a strong run of form with the bat. He averages 50.19 in 20 matches as captain compared to 38.78 in his other 42 Tests.