Shan Masood ‘solid captain’ for shorter format: Former England coach
Shan Masood’s white-ball game, according to Andy Flower, head coach for the Multan Sultans of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has improved in recent years.
Flower praised both Masood and Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam, calling the former a “solid captain” in the shortened version of the game.
While coaching the Gulf Giants in the International League T20, the head coach revealed these details to a group of Pakistani journalists in Dubai.
Babar is a “superb” cricketer who improves any team he is selected to play for, according to him. “I rate Babar very highly in all the formats, he has been a superb T20 cricketer,” he said.
The former England coach has spoken highly of Masood, stating, “I think Masood is a superb cricketer and his white ball confidence and skills have grown tremendously over the last few years because of the exposure in PSL.” Masood has also played in England, and the former coach believes that this will be an advantage for him.
Flower praised Masood’s leadership, saying, “I think he’s a good captain.”
When asked about recent reports suggesting Masood is likely to replace Babar as ODI captain, he said, “I have worked with him as a captain, he is an outstanding young man and I don’t know what are the options available in Pakistan but as far as Masood is concerned, he is a solid man.”
In response to a question, Flower said he was in favour of teams experimenting with various forms of management, but that the best approach would ultimately depend on the specifics of each team’s situation and the options they had at their disposal.
Flower added that he is unable to coach Pakistan because he is committed to his duties with several Twenty20 league teams.
He elaborated, “At the moment I am enjoying my franchise experiences, and I am quite busy; I am going to stick to doing that,” adding that he believes they are aware that he is currently committed to franchise cricket.
According to the ex-England coach, anchors can play an integral part in the Twenty20 format.
As he put it, “we all like aggression but I still think there is a role for different types of players in T20s,” adding that the team’s selectors, coaches, and captains have the final say on the matter.
Power and aggression are essential in cricket, but there are other ways to rack up the runs as well. Very recently, Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav demonstrated with skill and ingenuity how it’s done. He went on to say, “I think there is space for all kinds of cricketers; you just need to get your balance right.”