Masood rued the missed opportunities in the second Test. © AFP Pakistan lost their ninth Test match since Shan Masood took over as captain of the red-ball side against Australia in December 2023. It was another Test of missed opportunities for the hosts who failed to capitalize on the good start that they had after dismissing the West Indies for 163. But at one point of time 163 in itself looked like a mountain to climb for the West Indies after they were tottering at 54 for 8 following a historic hat-trick by Noman Ali. It was the same pain point which troubled Pakistan in the Test series against Bangladesh and South Africa last year. This time around the West Indian tail of Kemar Roach, Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican added 109 runs for the last two wickets to bring the visitors back into the game. Pakistan skipper Shan Masood admitted that it was an ‘area of concern’ for Pakistan. “Yes, this is an area of concern,” Masood said. “This is an area where we have to improve. And that is that we have to get the tail-enders out soon. We have shown this in many instances. When we played three test matches in Australia, I think Australia have the best tail-enders in the world. The way they run, their averages, there is always a contribution from them. We got them out cheaply there. “But in many series, like the Bangladesh series, the West Indies series, or the South Africa series, we did not get them out quickly and it is our responsibility as well and one thing that we can improve upon.” Masood was happy with the way his bowlers performed until the eighth wicket fell but also alluded to the fact that on such wickets Test matches can be won or lost on the first day, and Pakistan let key moments slip during the game. “We bowled very well till we picked up eight wickets,” Masood said. “If we look at our batting and bowling mistakes, we can see that the West Indies got the lead of 9 runs at a crucial time. By the time we got the last two wickets, we had conceded a lot of runs. “We have to learn that we can’t wait in such Test matches. Only on the first day, there will be such opportunities in which the Test match can be won or lost. Often, it takes time in Test matches where things are decided on the third day. But in such conditions, Test matches can be decided on the first day.” Masood went on to say that even for the domestic cricketers of Pakistan, these were new conditions and they are being exposed to such conditions. He labelled his batters ‘brave’ for learning on the job on tricky surfaces but he felt that these conditions should be replicated in domestic cricket as well. “As far as preparation is concerned, we know that we have not played domestic cricket in these conditions. In a way, it is also brave that the batsmen have exposed themselves in these conditions. We have done all the practise that we could do in preparation. But this is also a new thing for us and now the important thing is that we have to replicate this in domestic cricket. The spinners will always find the edge, because there was turn off the pitch, and the ball was also staying straight so it was difficult to predict.” Masood went on to note that even the bowlers should be trained to take 20 wickets as soon as possible. “And in the same way, for the bowlers, it will be the case of how we can pick 20 wickets as soon as possible. Because if you look here, in the fourth innings, anything over 140-150 is a competitive score.” He also touched on Babar Azam who has gone without a Test century for over two years since his 161 against New Zealand in December 2022. The right-hander scored 31 runs in rhythmic fashion but was undone by clipping one to short-leg off his pads. Masood said that in such conditions a 100 could prove to be tricky but as a collective unit the batters should take on the opposition bowlers at the right time. “As a batting unit, we have to realise how realistic it is to think that a batter can score 100 in such conditions. No one is denying that it can’t be 100. But most of the time, it won’t be 100. “Instead, we should focus on how we can all make contributions that will make it easier for the next batsman. We have to make a challenging total. Whether it is Babar Azam or any other batsman, our learning is that we have to attack at the right time, make runs at the right time.”
