On a bright Wednesday, December 6, Pakistan cricket witnessed the rise of a new leader in their red-ball camp as Shan Masood marked the beginning of his captaincy tenure with a stellar unbeaten century in a tour warm-up match. Facing the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, Pakistan set the stage for their upcoming three-match Test series, commencing on December 14, with a commanding display on Day 1.
Pakistan’s shake-up in leadership stems from a less than satisfactory ICC World Cup 2023 campaign in India, which prompted star batsman Babar Azam to relinquish his captaincy roles across all formats. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a surprising move instated Masood as the Test captain, an experienced campaigner and a left-handed batter whose mettle would soon be put to the test.
And Masood rose to the challenge from the get-go. After an early departure by opener Imam-ul-Haq, Masood, batting at the crucial no.3 spot, steadied the ship, forging vital partnerships with Abdullah Shafique and the former captain Babar Azam, who struggled to make his mark with a gritty 40 off 88 balls.
The wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed also found some form contributing 41 valuable runs, hinting at a positive headspace for the challenging tour ahead. As the Day 1 curtain fell with Faheem Ashraf’s departure at stumps, Pakistan stood resilient at 324-6, much thanks to Masood’s outstanding 156* off 235 balls.
Jordan Buckingham, the young promising pacer for the Prime Minister’s XI, claimed three crucial scalps, including that of Babar Azam. He lavished high praise on Masood’s exceptional innings, describing it as “pretty much flawless” and a sign of good things to come for the southpaw this summer.
Masood now shoulders the dual burden of leading a side looking to make a mark in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle and also proving that the PCB’s faith in his leadership was well placed. How he navigates this pressure is a prospect that fans and critics alike await with keen interest.
The lineup for the Prime Minister’s XI boasted names like Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and Matt Renshaw, while the visitors’ side displayed a blend of experience and youthful exuberance with players like Sarfaraz Ahmed and the leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed.
As the match progresses and the Test series looms closer, the cricketing world looks on to see if Pakistan can convert this good start into a substantial performance in the more demanding Test arena. Masood’s captaincy journey has begun on a high, but only time will tell if this will usher in a new era of Pakistani dominance in the longest format of the game.