Pakistan played the first Multan Test against England last week with one specialist spinner. But, in the second, they fielded three specialist spinners and only one fast bowler and won the Test convincingly. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who became only the second pair of spinners in the history of Test cricket to take all 20 wickets made headlines.
“This is a long process and journey,” Shan Masood said after Pakistan’s comfortable 152-run win against England on Friday. “It [question around Pakistan’s template for success at home] wouldn’t be fixed overnight. I said it in defeat and I will say it in victory too. Twenty wickets is non-negotiable in Tests and conditions in the fourth innings are rarely batting friendly. We have to understand our conditions and think about what combinations get us 20 wickets. We need big first innings with the bat and then the bowlers to back up to give us a lead. The lead in the third innings took the pressure off us and the 75-run-lead helped us because where we scored 220-odd resulted in nearly 300-run target.”
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However, Masood thinks that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all combination, but Pakistan will have to understand the nature of each venue and play teams accordingly as well. Meanwhile, Masood also credited the decision to play the second Test on the re-used surface to ‘the team’s effort’ as well.
“This was a very important win for Pakistan cricket,” he said. “The recent results were unacceptable. There is relief, whether you ask cricketers or fans. Since I have come in, we have had no issue taking risks. We have tried to play cricket that brings results, and we have lost a lot of matches doing that, too. But, we want to become a team that can produce results anywhere.”
“When you look at Australia, they know they will get a bouncy track that’s going to seam around. In Sydney, they will probably play two spinners. Number one, it is about assessing our home conditions and knowing the difference of each ground. I do not think we will go to a strategy where we go for a spin wicket everywhere. You need to know the characteristics of your ground and soil to be a good Test team. Winning on a spin wicket was not heartening, but changing strategies last minute and responding to a change of strategy was,” he further added.
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“There will be criticism,” he said. “I try and accept valid criticism constructively and set aside what isn’t constructive. This isn’t about me but the team as a whole. We were all hurting after how we let the last series slip as well as some games in Australia. And we kept wondering how we could turn this around. Today, we were solely focused on how to take eight wickets. The team’s effort speaks for itself,” Shan Masood concluded.
The third Test between Pakistan and England will begin in Rawalpindi on 24 October.
