Shan Masood became the first man in Test cricket history to lose his first six games at the helm. The latest loss came against England during the 1st Test in Multan by an innings and 47 runs. What made it more worse is fact that for the 1st time in 147 years Pakistan became the only side to the game by an innings margin despite scoring 550 in their 1st innings.
England in response recorded the 4th highest score in Test history with 823/7 in their first innings. Harry Brook scored 317 off 322 balls, while former England skipper Joe Root scored career best 262. Barring Saud Shakeel each of the bowlers were smashed for over 100 runs as Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub picked 2 wickets each.
In reply Pakistan were bowled out for 220 in their 2nd innings just before lunch on the 5th day. Agha Salman with 63 and Aamer Jamal with 55 not out were the only two Pakistani batters who put up some fight. Jack Leach picked 4/30 become the best English bowler while Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson picked 2 wickets each.
Shan Masood set to be sacked as Test skipper?
Moments after the first Test match ended, reports emerged that Shan Masood could lose his Test captaincy. The left-handed batter will most likely be replaced before the start of the 2nd Test in Multan next week. As per reports, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel are in the running to become Pakistan’s new Test skipper.
Shan Masood after the loss blamed the bowlers for the huge reversal. Speaking at the end of the game Masood said “We've spoken about the third innings or fourth innings, but at the end of the day it's a team game. Everything has its advantages and repercussions as a team. When you put up 550 on the board, it's important to back it up with 10 wickets. That's something we didn't do. If we take those 10 wickets and keep England around our score, maybe a bit more, then these 220 runs on the fifth day become challenging.”
Pakistan’s test skipper also added “We can learn from England as well. They've found a way to get those 20 wickets. Can't win Test matches without picking up 20 wickets. As a team, yes we have that second innings of batting to improve, but we have to learn to pick up 20 wickets. That's the challenge as a side going forward. We're in the middle of the series, we've talked about squad mentality and consistency”
Here's how the fans reacted
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