Pakistan's Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed rallies behind Shan Masood after captaincy axing

Pakistan’s incumbent Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has thrown his support behind Shan Masood as the left‑hander looks to move past the disappointment of losing the captaincy and focus on contributing as a batter. Masood was recently removed from the leadership role when selectors announced squads for the upcoming Test series against West Indies and England.

Masood had been appointed red‑ball captain in November 2023 following Pakistan’s group‑stage exit from the ODI World Cup. His tenure, however, proved difficult. In 16 Tests as skipper, he managed just four wins while suffering 12 defeats, finishing with a win percentage of 25 and a loss percentage of 75.

Despite those numbers, Sarfaraz believes Masood still has plenty to offer as a senior batter and praised his mindset. 

“I spoke to Shan Masood and his confidence and spirits are high,” Sarfaraz told Cricinfo after a training session on the eve of Pakistan’s departure for the Caribbean. “He prepared well but had a slight hamstring niggle. But his attitude was excellent. Shan is a senior player and a very sensible one. He understands how to get through this. The way he contributed as captain, he will now contribute as player too.”

Sarfaraz also expressed confidence in Pakistan’s new‑look Test side, highlighting the intense preparations undertaken in a month‑long camp in Lahore under extreme heat and humidity. He explained that the team trained on both grassy wickets and spin tracks to ensure adaptability overseas. 

“Our preparation is excellent,” he said. “We had a one‑month camp in Lahore before giving the boys about four to five days off. After that, we had a 3‑day camp in here [in Rawalpindi] again. The humidity over there is kind of the same as it is here. The weather will be warm, and that’s what we’re preparing for, so we expect good results.”

“We’ve built our team looking at conditions in West Indies. We’ve prepared with that in mind. We prepared some pitches with grass on, and some spin tracks. We practised on both. We have a practice match in Port‑of‑Spain where both our Tests are [in Tarouba and then at Queen’s Park Oval]. We expect to get used to the weather.”

Sarfaraz further noted that Babar Azam’s reappointment as captain would benefit the side, given his prior leadership experience. Acknowledging that Pakistan’s Test team has endured turbulent times, he insisted that a turnaround is not that far away.

"I want to congratulate Babar Azam on being appointed captain," Sarfaraz added. "He has the experience, and has captained Pakistan before.

"Our recent series have not yielded good results. It's a very challenging time. But we've worked very hard in the past month. We spoke to them one-on-one to explain to them what we expected of them. We hope the things we've worked with them on in this heat and the hard work we've done will yield results. We're targeting a series win."