Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood gave a sharp reply when a reporter questioned him about his recent form.

Shan Masood Fires Back at Criticism Ahead of WTC Cycle

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has often faced criticism at home for his inconsistent performances in the longest format. Despite guiding his side to a Test series win against England, Masood continues to be under scrutiny. The left-handed batter has played 40 Tests, averaging a modest 30.12, which explains why reporters have frequently questioned his form in recent matches.

However, earlier this year, Shan Masood showed signs of improvement — smashing 145 against South Africa in Cape Town and following it up with a gritty 52 against the West Indies in Multan. As Pakistan prepares for a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Shan Masood once again faced tough questions about his leadership and batting form. When a reporter bluntly suggested that he wasn’t “leading from the front,” the Pakistan captain calmly hit back, asking the journalist to back the claim with concrete statistics.

Here is the full exchange between the Pakistani journalist and Masood

Reporter: Aapki apni performance ko leke kaafi baat ho rahi hai ki captain lead from the front karte hai lekin humare Test captain lead from the front nahi kar rahe. Uske baare main bata de (There is a lot of chatter about your own performance. The talk is that our captain is not leading from the front. Please tell us about it).”

Masood: If you give me numbers, then I will answer this question. We are just repeating one thing. We are playing in such conditions where our priority is to take 20 wickets. We don’t want to play on wickets where Tests are drawn. To excel in WTC, you must win matches. We need to lower our expectations when it comes to cumulative averages. If you look at the WTC cycle for the last period, I am among the top run-scorers for Pakistan. Unfortunately, the results haven’t come, and we consider it a cumulative failure.

Shan Masood speaks about his performance in response to a journalist’s question#TOKSports #ShanMasood #PakvSa pic.twitter.com/6T37YQlQqP
— TOK Sports (@TOKSports021) October 11, 2025

Pakistan to begin new WTC cycle against South Africa

Pakistan will begin their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle against Aiden Markram-led South Africa, starting Sunday, October 12, in Lahore. The return of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to the squad adds strength to the lineup, and all eyes will be on how the two perform in this crucial series.

The Proteas will be captained by Aiden Markram, with regular skipper Temba Bavuma sidelined due to injury. Following the Pakistan tour, South Africa will head to India for a two-match Test series.

Pakistan, who are yet to reach a WTC final, will aim for a strong start to this cycle. Meanwhile, South Africa enter the competition as defending champions, having clinched the previous edition by defeating Australia in the final at Lord’s Cricket Ground.