Veteran Ramiz Raja has added that Shan Masood needs to score with the bat as he cannot have a place in the Pakistan side just as a captain. He also questioned his decisions during the first Test against Bangladesh. Pakistan faced a 10-wicket defeat in the series opener against the
Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Sunday, August 25. Masood scored 20 runs across his two innings only.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Raja said, “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. 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.”

Ramiz Raja also added that Shan Masood needs to improve his footwork. He further added that the left-handed batter used to show aggression earlier in his career as well.

“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. 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 concluded.