“Domestic cricket will be played like this,” he said. “We have already talked about it. The more we play, the better we will get at it. We have shown encouraging signs. After the four matches, we have won three in these conditions. We dominated the first hour of the first day which would have was able to swing the match in our favor. It’s just about winning those key moments and ensuring that we are consistent with those conditions domestically and internationally.
“It’s a game of all stakeholders. We should appreciate the players taking to the den without being exposed to these conditions. We know we haven’t played domestic cricket in these conditions. To some extent way, it’s a kind of courage to expose We have trained in these conditions, but it’s new for us But we need to replicate this in domestic cricket, give our batters exposure so that we play in these. conditions and that we get points in the fourth round a competitive score, where the spinners will always have the advantage.
An inevitable result of such surfaces is the outsized role that throwing plays. On all four occasions, the team that won the toss batted first, coming away with victory on three occasions. While Pakistan managed to turn that scenario around against England in the series decider, West Indies’ victory demonstrated once again how these pitches can tilt a match in favor of the latter over of side bowling.
However, that didn’t happen when Pakistan played in the first hour, having reduced the West Indies to 54 for 8, and letting that situation slip through his fingers mostly frustrated Masood. “We didn’t get the result we wanted. The positive thing is you play first and you know the fourth set is going to be tough, so you try to restrict the opposition in the first set. We bowled brilliantly for the first eight wickets But we talked about combining the first innings batting and bowling to do well, so you have the advantage in the third and fourth innings If you look at our batting and bowling. , and the mistakes we made collectively it was crucial time as their last two wickets cost us dearly.
“Then with the bat, we went from 119 for 4 to 154. When these collapses happen and the other side puts on partnerships, they can set you back. If we had got them out earlier and got a 100 points.”
This is the end of an unhappy cycle for Pakistan and its leader. Pakistan have lost nine of their last 12 matches, all five away and four of seven at home. Although they opened with a crushing away victory in Sri Lanka, they finished bottom of the WTC table and would not play another Test for almost nine months.
Masood admitted that Pakistan had failed to live up to expectations, but did not think the team needed a complete overhaul, stressing that fine margins had made the difference in this Test and could be worked on.
“The tail not getting wickets is a concern, and we need to finish the sides quicker,” Masood said, echoing his frustrations in South Africa, where the last two wickets added too many runs to their were expensive during the first test at Centurion. . “Against Australia, who have the best line in the world, we took them out cheaply, but not here, nor against Bangladesh or South Africa.
“The hitters have been proactive, but we need more contributions. You may not get hundreds here, but 30s and 40s contribute to winning conditions. Kraigg Brathwaite was an ideal example. He took the game. A hitter will need to step up his efforts in these areas especially when the ball is new.
“It’s not about holding anyone accountable. It’s not an accountability office. It’s a team effort. Our mistake as a team was the first two innings. It’s is what took us back and gave the opposition a certain degree of freedom. If we were 100 points ahead, I don’t think they could have played the way they did. We have to understand that. the direction of the matches will be decided very quickly, from day one.
Danyal Rasool is the Pakistan correspondent for PK Press Club. @Danny61000
