Leg and off: Should Pakistan sack Shan Masood as Test captain?

Two days have passed since Pakistan's arguably the most shocking defeat in their chequered cricketing history - a 2-0 home Test series loss to Bangladesh and yet the criticism is still on fifth gear. Skipper Shan Masood has been front and center of the flak from fans and several former cricketers for his seemingly uninspired captaincy in both Bangladesh Tests.

The 34-year-old took over as Pakistan's Test captain at the end of last year and has suffered defeats in his first five matches leading the side. And right on cue as is typically the case in Pakistan cricket, questions about the management possibly moving on from Masood have started doing the rounds.

Pakistan have embarrassingly slipped to 8th on the latest ICC Test Team Rankings and second-to-bottom in the nine-team World Test Championship (WTC) table. With a formidable England side touring the country next for a three-Test series followed by a Test series against South Africa and West Indies before the end of January 2025, Pakistan have a decision to make regarding their Test captaincy.

Should they persist with Masood and provide him with a long rope to turn things around or have they seen enough?

Let us delve into both sides of the argument to reach a consensus on whether Pakistan should sack Shan Masood as Test captain.

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# 1 Has Shan Masood been given a fair run?

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Masood has led the side in only five Tests [Credit: @TheRealPCB X handle]

Pakistan are no strangers to panic moves, evidenced by their numerous personnel changes over the past year and the removal of Shaheen Afridi as the T20Is skipper after only one series. Yet, stripping Shan Masood of the Test captaincy after only two series and five matches at the help may be far-fetched even by their fickle standards.

The 34-year-old had as challenging a first task as a captain can get with the Test series in Australia. Considering Pakistan had been whitewashed in their previous five Test series in Australia, it is impossible to hold a sixth 0-3 whitewash down under against Masood.

Hence, the question of whether Masood should continue as captain is largely down to Pakistan's performance in the two Tests against Bangladesh. While he certainly deserves blame for several moves in both Tests like the first innings declaration in the opener and allowing Bangladesh easy scoring opportunities in both innings of the second test, Pakistan were ahead for major portions of both outings.

Also worth remembering is Pakistan's winless streak in Tests at home since early 2021 and making an ultimate judgment on Masood's captaincy qualities based on the Bangladesh series blemish might be a step too far.

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Verdict: Masood deserves a longer run as captain before considering a change at the helm

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# 2 How Shan Masood the batter could spell doom on his captaincy

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Masood boasts sub-par Test numbers with the willow [Credit: Getty]

One of the unwritten rules in a team sport, especially cricket, is that dropping the captain completely from the lineup is a no-no. And that is where Pakistan may have a problem with Shan Masood the batter and how it connects to his staying as captain.

Barring the odd glimpses, the southpaw has been sub-par with the willow in a fairly lengthy Test career. Masood averages an underwhelming 28.53 with as many as eight ducks in 35 Tests.

The numbers are even worse since the start of 2022 with the veteran batter averaging only a tick over 26 in ten Tests. Masood's batting has been similarly unimpressive even as captain with an average of 28.50 in five games.

For Pakistan to finally say enough is enough and drop Masood from the playing XI as one of the specialist batters, it may have to start by removing him as captain. Thus, not warranting a place in the Test XI could be the death knell for Masood the captain.

Verdict: Masood's Test batting form could accelerate his removal from captaincy

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# 3 Do Pakistan have other options to lead the Test side?

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Babar and Rizwan could be the only realistic options to take over the Test captaincy [Credit: Getty]

Should Pakistan tinker with moving on from Shan Masood as Test captain, a credible replacement option in the current squad must be available. Given the pacers' injury history and spinners' inexperience, the chances of a bowler being Test captain is next to impossible.

Coming to the batters, none of Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Saud Shakeel, or Agha Salman have even played 20 Tests. To make them Test captain with Pakistan undergoing such turmoil on and off the field could be flirting with danger. That leaves them with only Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

The former relinquished captaincy in all three formats at the end of last year but was reinstated at the helm in the white-ball formats again this year. The move has received severe criticism after Pakistan's premature exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, making a repeat of the same in Tests impossible.

Yet, it might be a logical move for crisis control in the short term, given Babar's impressive record as Test captain with 10 wins in 20 games. Coming to Rizwan, he has captained Pakistan twice in Tests and lost both outings in the 2020/21 season.

However, considering he is the lone batter in form and with the experience of 32 Tests, it could be Pakistan's best roll of the dice if they want to replace Masood.

Verdict: It Could be Mohammad Rizwan or bust if Pakistan decide to replace Shan Masood as Test captain

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To conclude, Shan Masood purely on a captaincy basis deserves a longer run at the helm of the Pakistan Test side. However, with his extensive poor form with the bat, Pakistan might consider dropping him from the Test squad, which automatically calls for a switch in captaincy.

Should they go with the second option, it might be Deja Vu with Babar Azam as the Test captain under a year after he gave up on captaincy or rolling the dice with veteran wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.

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