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Walking the talk: Shan Masood proves himself as batting saviour in spin-heavy era of Pakistan

Aashay Chopade

Shan Masood against South Africa (Source: AFP)Shan Masood against South Africa (Source: AFP)

Shan Masood took over the leadership of Pakistan in Test cricket from the 2023-24 tour of Australia. It has been a tough route for him since then as Pakistan have won only one series under him so far.

After the series loss against Bangladesh and the defeat to England in the first Multan Test, Pakistan decided to change the way they play Test cricket at home. The management made a bold decision to switch to turning tracks, and it has now helped them bring some positive results their way. 

Captain Shan Masood leads from the front in tough batting period for Pakistan

However, the extra help for spinners means that the batters now have to apply themselves more in Test matches in Pakistan, and the frequency of big scores has come down. Also, the only away Test tour during this period has been the one of South Africa, one of the toughest places to bat for a subcontinental batter.

Thus, the batting averages of almost all Pakistan batters have taken a hit. However, against all odds, their captain, Shan Masood, has shown great resilience as a batter and has shown the consistency that Pakistan need from their batters to get more wins under their belt.

In the ongoing series against South Africa at home, the Pakistan captain has hit two back-to-back fifties on tough turning tracks, showing how to tackle spin on dust bowls. Overall, in 2025, he has scored his runs at an average of 44.11, which is way above his career average of 31.09. He has hit a century and three fifties in the year so far, and has bailed Pakistan out of trouble multiple times.

Pakistan batters in 2025

Pakistan batters
Test average
Shan Masood44.11
Babar Azam29.44
Salman Ali Agha25.50
Saud Shakeel25.37
Mohammad Rizwan40.37

During the same time period, the likes of Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha are averaging in the 20s, which has made those runs from Shan Masood even more important. Apart from Masood, Mohammad Rizwan is the only one who has shown consistency and has adapted well to the challenges that have come his way.

Leadership responsibility: Maturing Shan Masood

The year 2025 is also the best for Shan Masood in terms of his batting average in Test cricket. He has achieved this feat in a period where batting has become tougher for Pakistan batters, and it shows his determination to walk the talk on his bold spin strategy.

Also, as a captain, Shan Masood's record is way better than it was as a pure batter, and it is an indication that the leadership role has helped him mature at the international level. Thus, Pakistan clearly have a Test captain who is showing them the way with the bat and is willing to take the responsibility. The PCB has kept faith in him despite unfavourable results in the early part of his captaincy tenure, but with Pakistan doing well against South Africa at home, it seems that Shan Masood is finally finding his mojo as a captain and batter in Test cricket.