"We do play ten first-class matches minimum" - Shan Masood questions scheduling of less Test matches for Pakistan
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has called for more red-ball cricket for the national team to improve their fortunes in the format. The left-handed batter also admitted that they must identify and implement a style of play for home Test matches, having produced poor results in the past.
The Men in Green will begin a busy period of home Tests on August 21 when they host Bangladesh for a two-game series. After Bangladesh, they will host England for three Tests, followed by another series against the West Indies.
Speaking on the PCB podcast, Masood stated that Pakistan play plenty of red-ball matches, but the number reduces drastically on the international level. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
"We need more Test cricket. We play a lot of domestic cricket, so I don't think we can blame that. We do play ten first-class matches minimum, and with the introduction of departmental cricket, some players ended up playing 16-17 first-class matches in a year."
The 34-year-old opined that it's unfortunate that the men's team last played a Test in January.
"For me, it's more about how we can get our team to play more Test matches. We're playing nine Test matches in four months, but we've also had to deal with an unfortunate calendar where we played in Australia, and then we're playing our next Test after ten months."
Pakistan had a forgettable home season in 2022-23, losing to England 3-0 and drawing the two-Test series against New Zealand.
"The priority is representing Pakistan" - Jason Gillespie
With PCB denying NOC to play in overseas leagues to a few star players, head coach Jason Gillespie declared that the management will never compromise on national duty. He added:
"I know there's been a lot of media discussion recently about some decisions made by the PCB on player availability. Shan touched on it - there are nine Test matches in the next four months."
"We've got multi-format players, and we've got to look after them as best we can. The priority is representing Pakistan, but if there are opportunities -on a case-by-case basis - where a player can learn about their game and play better cricket, which in turn will help them be a better cricketer for Pakistan, then we'll certainly consider those opportunities. But we won't be in a position where we compromise the team, whichever format."
This will be Gillespie's first stint as an international side's head coach.