Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt threw his weight behind Test captain Shan Masood to lead the side in all formats. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt stressed the need for a strategic approach while criticising the current leadership before going on to back Shan Masood for the all-format captaincy of the national team. “There is some fuss because of which despite having skill, players haven’t been able to execute. There is someone who doesn’t have any strategy for planning but still has a lot of attitude. To silence that attitude, I would definitely make Shan Masood the captain,” Butt said.

For the unversed, Masood was given the reigns of the Test team after Pakistan’s dismal campaign at the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 which led to Babar Azam stepping down as the all-format captain. He has thus far led the side in a three-match away Test series against Australia, which concluded in January this year. The Green Shirts suffered a 3-0 whitewash against the dominant hosts but Masood’s captaincy was lauded. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan are set to embark on a busy home international season with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The Test series will commence on August 21 in Rawalpindi before concluding on September 3 in Karachi. Pakistan will host England for three Tests in Multan (7-11 October), Karachi (15-19 October) and Rawalpindi (24-28 October), and the West Indies will visit for two Tests in Karachi (16-20 January) and Multan (24-28 January). Additionally, Pakistan will host an ODI tri-series, featuring New Zealand and South Africa, scheduled in Multan from 8-14 February.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)