Former Pakistan captain and talismanic keeper Rashid Latif has a strange suggestion for the PCB and the Test skipper Babar Azam ahead of the three-match Test series against England starting August 19. Latif feels the PCB should be smart and not send Babar for the pressers, and instead have the batting mainstay Shan Masood handle the media briefings.
While Masood is arguably the most fluent English speaker in the squad, Latif’s logic goes beyond language-he fears the British media will try to create controversial headlines that could put Babar under undue pressure.
“An England tour is a difficult assignment, and the English media often tries to unnecessarily involve visiting teams in news stories,” Rashid said on Geo News’ Score. “Babar Azam is an experienced player, so it would be better for the PCB management to keep him away from the English media and send former captain Shan Masood to speak to them more often. Shan has played in England and has better experience of dealing with the English media.”
Babar replaced Masood as Pakistan’s Test captain for the third time recently. Under Masood, Pakistan suffered a series of losses, pushing them further down and away from the WTC final qualification, across three cycles.
However, in the current cycle, which concludes with a final next year in June in England, Pakistan sits at the bottom in ninth place, with two wins and four losses in six concluded Tests. Their latest assignment was an away two-match Test series against the West Indies, which ended in a draw, with Pakistan winning the second Test.
Pakistan in England
Pakistan will return to England for a Test series for the first time since 2020, when the hosts won the three-match series 1-0. Although England had toured Pakistan in the meantime, whitewashing them in a famous rout in 2022, the two teams will square off in Leeds, London and Birmingham this time.
Pakistan had enjoyed touring England in the late 80s and early 90s, winning three consecutive away series — 1-0 in 1987, 2-1 in 1992 and 2-0 in 1996 – but haven’t won a Test series in the UK since.
Pakistan Test Squad for England Tests –
Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah and Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness for England)