"He is not Mike Brearley or a great captain that he will continue to have a place even if he keeps scoring 0" - Ramiz Raja on Shan Masood
Ramiz Raja has noted that Shan Masood needs to deliver with the bat as he cannot have a place in the Pakistan side just as a captain. He also questioned the Men in Green skipper's decisions during the first Test against Bangladesh.
Pakistan suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the series opener against the Bangla Tigers in Rawalpindi on Sunday, August 25. Masood aggregated 20 runs across his two innings, with his decision not to play a specialist spinner also coming under criticism.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Raja pointed out that Masood was found wanting both as a batter and captain.
"Shan Masood needs to first bat well and then show his knowledge of the game a little because he is decently experienced as far as captaincy is concerned. He captains in county cricket and has captained his team in the PSL. I couldn't understand on what basis he thought that if you leave grass on the Pindi pitch in August, the ball will swing a lot," he said (4:30).
"Firstly, he has to take the correct direction. It was a massive faultline from the selection point of view. His batting has gone down. He is not Mike Brearley or a great captain that he will continue to have a place even if he keeps scoring zero. He needs to pull his batting up," the former Pakistan batter added.
Ramiz Raja noted that Shan Masood needs to improve his footwork. He added that the left-handed batter used to show aggression earlier in his career but has now started going into survival mode to somehow play the new ball out.
"Babar Azam needs to up his game" - Ramiz Raja
In the same video, Ramiz Raja pointed out that Babar Azam needs to elevate his game.
"Similarly, Babar Azam needs to up his game. I feel he has a lot of potential in Test cricket at No. 4 because the sideways movement is finished and then you get good batting conditions. However, what can he do if such an atmosphere has been created? A defensive and losing atmosphere has been created," he said (5:55).
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Pakistan cannot afford to lose the Test series against Bangladesh.
"You are defeating your own aim through tactics and selection. Even if you play new players, they are not of the standard that you will straightaway get match-winners. Pakistan have to win the next match at any cost. You cannot lose this series because Pakistan cricket is already under pressure and the pressure will increase if you lose this series to Bangladesh," Ramiz Raja elaborated.
The final Test of the two-match series is scheduled to start at the same venue on Friday, August 30. The Men in Green have lost four of the six Tests they have played in the current World Test Championship cycle and are in the eighth position in the points table.