"Have to be positive" - Shan Masood suggests Pakistan will play aggressively in Test series against Australia
Pakistan captain Shan Masood has hinted at forcing results in the upcoming Test series against Australia, which starts on December 14th, and stressed the need to remain positive. The left-handed batter underlined the need to understand match situations and perform accordingly.
Australia will start as overwhelming favourites for the series as Pakistan have not won a Test Down Under since 1995. The hosts have also not lost a home Test in the last six years to any side other than India, making the tourists' job even more challenging.
Speaking at a pre-match presser, Masood said he believes it's about choosing the moments in which to attack or defend. He reckons the tour will be a learning curve for Pakistan, regardless of the result. As quoted by Perth Now, he stated:
"You have to be positive. It's picking your battles, it's being sensible, and it's about seeing the requirement of the games and seeing what are the ways we can save time in the game and create a situation where taking 20 wickets would be easy. For us it's about the bigger picture. We want to come into these conditions and see what are the best ways to win a cricket match. We'll make mistakes, we might not get over the line, but it'll be a great learning for us."
The tourists have also named the playing XI for the opening game, handing debuts to Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad.
"We'd obviously like more Test cricket" - Shan Masood
The 34-year-old also underlined the need for more Test cricket for Pakistan, but realizes that they must be more consistent. He added:
"It's not enough, we'd obviously like more Test cricket. We all love playing Test cricket, it's the ultimate, it's the pinnacle. I think by being a side that is a winning side, that produces results at home and overseas, we might get more Test cricket in the future."
Pakistan are currently at the top of the World Test Championship table, having won both their matches.