Pakistan have lost six Tests in a row, with the recent one coming against England in Multan, where they became the first team to lose by an innings despite putting up over 500 in the first innings. Skipper Shan Masood has been under scrutiny as, under his leadership, Pakistan are yet to win a match.
Despite the poor run of form, which includes losing two Tests at home against Bangladesh, Masood believes that the side is not mentally weak, but at the same time, he reckons they have nobody to blame except themselves.
"I wouldn't say my team is mentally weak but we expected this pitch to break by the third day onwards that is why we prolonged our innings. But at the end of the day, you have to find ways to take 20 wickets and we are not doing that in recent times," Masood said after Pakistan's innings and 47-run loss against England on October 11 (Friday).
Further reflecting on the loss, Masood said, "We can't blame anyone but ourselves. Where we made lapses, they didn't, and they capitalised on their opportunities. The pitch character did change on the fourth day when we came to bat, as some cracks had opened up, and there was a little something for the bowlers with the new ball."
Star batter Babar Azam, too, has not been in the best of form of late. When asked about that, Masood said that the management will review the situation before making the call. "We will sit down and reflect on this test and then make decisions on the squad for the next test," he added.
Pakistan will hope to turn things around when they take on England next in the second Test in Multan, starting October 15 (Tuesday).
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