Shan Masood sacked as Test captain [Source: AFP]Pakistan’s Test downfall needs to be studied. When PCB appointed Shan Masood as captain of the red-ball team, there was optimism that he would take their cricket forward. However, two years later, it seems the Pakistan team has regressed under his not-so-astute leadership.The side has lost 12 of their last 16 Test matches, and the latest humiliation came against Bangladesh. Playing away from home, Pakistan lost both matches and were whitewashed by a spirited Bangladesh team.Pakistan humiliated by Bangladesh as WTC finale dream overWith the PSL 2026 over, Pakistan’s first international assignment was the away Test tour of Bangladesh. The Tigers are a strong Test unit at home, but Pakistan was expected to beat them and keep the WTC final dream alive.However, the hosts came with a plan, and executed it to perfection as the visitors suffered a series whitewash (0-2), and that has placed them eighth in the WTC points tally, just above the West Indies.The Shan Masood-led side has a win percentage of 8.33, and they are virtually out of the WTC final race.Shan Masood set to be sacked, Salman Agha to be appointed captainWith yet another Test series loss, Pakistan captain, Shan Masood is set to face PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s wrath. The skipper was backed by the Pakistan management, but with poor Test results, the board has reached its breaking point.According to the latest report by Geo News, Shan Masood is set to be replaced as Pakistan’s Test captain, with the T20I captain, Salman Agha, taking over the mantle from him.Salman Agha has enough experience to lead a team, and with no visible competition for the captaincy role, the PCB has decided to hand the captaincy duties to the T20I skipper.How Pakistan Test team fared under Shan MasoodShan Masood has led Pakistan in 16 tests winning only 4 of them. He has won only 1 test series as captain and that too after losing the first match. Interestingly, only two captains have suffered more defeats in their first 16 Tests as captain, Brendan Taylor and Shakib Al Hasan with 13 each.Under his leadership, the side languishes at the second last place in the WTC 2025-27 points tally, and last season it was more horrendous.In the 2023-25 WTC cycle, Pakistan finished last (9th), with just 5 wins out of 14, and a win percentage of 27.98. As a result, the PCB has decided to sack Shan Masood as the Test captain.Also Read: Mohsin Naqvi's PCB Takes Extreme Step After Pakistan's Bangladesh DrubbingRight call to make Salman Agha the Test captain?As stated before, Pakistan had limited choices when it came to appointing a new Test captain. Shaheen Afridi was one choice, but he has been going through a rough patch, and was dropped for the second Test match against Bangladesh.Then, there was Babar Azam, who was sacked in late 2023, and Shan Masood stepped in to fill his shoes. Hence, with no quality captaincy choices available, PCB decided to go ahead with Salman Agha, who has fared well in Tests, but his captaincy has always come under scrutiny in T20Is.One thing is certain, Salman Agha has better Test numbers than Masood, and he could be a slight upgrade in terms of captaincy.Also Read: Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh Schedule 2026 Announced
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