Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has defended Shan Masood following his removal as Pakistan’s Test captain, claiming the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) judged him unfairly despite handing him an underperforming squad.
The PCB recently reinstated Babar Azam as Test captain ahead of Pakistan’s two-match Test series against the West Indies, bringing Masood’s tenure to an end after less than three years. The decision came after Pakistan slipped to the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, managing just one win in their first four matches of the new cycle.
Masood endured a difficult stint as captain, winning only four of his 16 Tests in charge. Back-to-back series defeats to Bangladesh, both at home and away, ultimately sealed his fate.
“If I were in Shan Masood’s position, I would have submitted a written complaint,” Raja said. “How can you expect different results when you’re repeatedly given an average group of players? If the quality of the squad isn’t good enough, the captain inevitably ends up carrying the blame.”
Despite Pakistan’s struggles, Masood performed consistently with the bat, scoring 1,056 runs at an average of 34, including two centuries and seven half-centuries. His performances were enough to retain his place in the Test side, but the PCB opted for a leadership change in a bid to revive the team’s fortunes.
“We wanted to look for a captain who could lead the team in a much better way,” selector Aqib Javed told the Associated Press. “Shan’s individual performance was good, but as captain we weren’t getting the desired results.”
Babar Azam returns to the role after stepping down in 2023 following his removal as Pakistan’s ODI captain. During his first stint as Test captain, Babar led Pakistan to 10 wins in 20 Tests, including memorable home victories over South Africa and away series triumphs in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, while averaging over 50 with the bat as skipper.
Babar’s second spell as Test captain will begin with the two-match series against the West Indies before Pakistan travels to England for a three-Test tour.
