Pakistan’s Test captain, Shan Masood, has outlined the new ball pair for the first Test match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, which starts on August 21.
Pakistan has opted for a four-man pace attack, a decision influenced by the conditions expected at the venue and it is expected that Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah will be the new-ball pairing in the early overs.
During a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Shan explained that Rawalpindi has traditionally favored fast bowlers and batters, with spin playing a minimal role.
He emphasized that the team intends to continue with the approach typically used in domestic cricket at Rawalpindi, rather than introducing a new strategy that may not be suited to the local conditions.
“In Rawalpindi, whenever we have played domestic cricket, the conditions have favored the seamers and the batters. Spin-bowling hasn’t been such a big threat.
So we want to take what we do in domestic cricket forward rather than applying something new, which we don’t normally get in Rawalpindi,” Shan stated.
Addressing the selection of Mohammad Ali over Mir Hamza, Shan highlighted the importance of each bowler’s role within the team.
He explained that the decision was based on who could best complement Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who are expected to take the new ball.
“We believe Mohammad Ali is well-suited for this role. He hits the deck hard, can move the ball in the air with the seam, and has that extra pace,” Shan concluded, underscoring the importance of matching bowlers to the specific conditions.
