Despite England’s loss to West Indies in Southampton, Pakistan opener Shan Masood remains wary of England’s fast-bowling depth ahead of his side’s three-Test series next month. He thinks James Anderson, in specific, will continue to be a big threat.
“Jimmy Anderson is a world-class bowler,” Masood said throughout a video convention. “By achievements, he is maybe the No. 1 fast bowler on the planet at this time. He carries a threat, of class lesson, and several other England bowlers carry a threat. England’s resource depth is excellent. They had few very good bowlers sitting on the bench [during the opening Test], especially pacers.”
Masood has good reason to be respectful of Anderson. The Pakistan opener has struggled against no other bowler relatively as much; in the three Tests that Anderson and Masood have both played, the 37-year-old Englishman has dismissed him in all six innings. His final England tour was once especially unhappy, with Masood managing just 71 runs in four innings; Anderson nicked him off in all four innings.
But that was once long ago. Back then, Masood was once something of a journeyman in international cricket, drifting into the side every now and then without ever having the ability to relatively nail down a place. Now, he is a few of the first names on the team sheet, and so far as personal career fortunes go, few will have enjoyed as dramatic a turnaround as the 30-year old previously 18 months.
Destined, seemingly, to be a back-up opener on the tour of South Africa in 2018-19, Masood was once called up for the Boxing Day Test after a late injury to Haris Sohail. Until then, he had played in just 12 of the 45 Tests Pakistan took part in since his debut, and those 12 came across five different stints. He averaged just 23.54 in that time.
That was once the Masood that Anderson had tormented through the years. The Masood of today who walks – no, struts – out to open for Pakistan has averaged a smidge under 45 since that Boxing Day Test, and hasn’t missed any of the eight Test Pakistan have played in that period. Masood has put the past very much where it belongs, and it was once a point he didn’t shy absent from making.
“You memorize from the past and the mistakes you made then, but you also memorize not to turn out to be fixated on the past,” he said. “You will have to also realize when to move on. Things have changed from 2016. The mistakes we’ve made before we need to memorize from, but we need to react to the needs of today. Nothing is fixed, and I need to live in the present.
“We have had an unbelievable possibility to prepare. We spent 14 days in Worcester and are going to spend another three weeks in Derby. There is no want to put myself under additional pressure to say I want to prove this object or the other. Practice is going polite and I understand my game. The outcome is not controllable, but I will be able to put in my best effort and retain my attitude positive.
“But while coming here early has allowed us to acclimatise, there is not any substitute for match time. In that sense, England have an virtue. But the basics don’t change; we need to figure out how to receive 20 wickets, and how to score 300-400 runs in an innings. So our primary focus must be on our preparations. We have a couple of advantages too, in that we will analyse their performances and work on their weaknesses. These things balance every other out.”
He lavished compliment on interim batting coach Younis Khan, who has joined the side in England, calling him the greatest Test batsman in Pakistan history, and said everyone, including the bowlers, were keen to be told off him.
It shouldn’t, maybe, be surprising that Younis’ arrival brings back fond personal memories for Masood. Despite a frustrating first few years with the national side where he couldn’t relatively nail his place down, one of his cricketing highlights took place while Younis was once at the other end. It was once 2015, and a series-deciding Test against Sri Lanka, with Pakistan requiring an implausible 377 for victory against the hosts. But having missing two wickets early, Masood would stick around with the current batting coach, striking up a 242-run partnership en route to scoring 125 as Pakistan stormed to a stunning win with seven wickets to spare.
“Younis’s stature is inarguable and his arrival makes a immense difference,” Masood said. “He is Pakistan’s greatest Test batsman and all batsmen in the side are keen to interact with him and draw on his experiences. The way the guys were playing in Worcester, be it in the nets or the scenario matches, he worked with everyone.
“He even works tough with our bowlers on their batting because in Test cricket, the runs they supply from the lower order are a very powerful too. Fifty or 60 runs added there could turn the tide of a Test match. We’re having two sessions a day, morning and evening. There’s been a hugely positive affect and we’re having a look forward to learning more from him.”
He did caution against slipping into thinking England weren’t relatively as strong as was once believed before the first Test against West Indies. “We shouldn’t undermine England,” he warned. “This was once the same top four that went to South Africa and won a series there. They are playing at home and they will have experience of playing there irrespective of if or not they have played international cricket.
“But we have our own strengths, too. In case you are talking approximately our spinners, we have a world-class spinner in Yasir Shah. Alongside him, we have an allrounder and an ready backup in Shadab Khan. So we have more than enough resources whether the situation comes down to needing a spinner to lead.”