Sylhet, 20 May (H.S.): Following a 78-run defeat against Bangladesh in the Sylhet Test and a second consecutive Test series loss, Pakistan captain Shan Masood avoided giving a direct answer on the future of his captaincy, stating that his focus remains on improving Pakistan’s Test cricket.

With this defeat, Pakistan also registered several unwanted records. The team became only the second side, after Zimbabwe, to lose four consecutive Test matches against Bangladesh. Additionally, this marked Pakistan’s seventh consecutive Test defeat overseas, equalling its worst record.

Shan Masood’s captaincy record has also come under increasing scrutiny. Under his leadership, Pakistan have lost 12 out of 16 Tests. Among Pakistan captains, only Misbah-ul-Haq has more defeats as captain, although he led the side in 56 Tests.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Masood said, “My intentions have always been clear. I took up this responsibility to improve Pakistan’s Test cricket. Whatever decision is made in the future will be up to the board. But my effort will always be to see how the team can move forward and improve.” He further added, “It is not necessary that I contribute only as captain. Whether as a player or in any role, I will continue to serve Pakistan cricket with full honesty. At this time, instead of only talking about change, we should focus on how to improve Pakistan’s Test cricket.”

In the Sylhet Test, Pakistan had reduced Bangladesh to 116 for six wickets on the opening day, but a century by Litton Das turned the match in Bangladesh’s favour. Masood acknowledged that the team made crucial mistakes at key moments. He said, “If we talk about the series, in both Test matches we had chances to win. But in batting, bowling, and fielding — we made mistakes in every department, and we paid the price. In Test cricket, even small mistakes over five days can prove very costly.”

Masood also responded to calls for major changes in the team, stating that improvement would not come from emotional decisions but through structural reforms. He said, “We need to see what kind of cricket we want to play and how to address our weaknesses. It does not matter whether a player is 18 or 40; what matters is whether he can fulfill the team’s requirements. When you lose, you cannot say everything is fine. But decisions should not be taken emotionally. We need to go to the root of the problems. Structural changes are necessary to improve Pakistan Test cricket.”

In this series, Masood did score a half-century, but his average remained below 26. Mohammad Rizwan played a fighting knock of 94 in the final Test. For Bangladesh, Taijul Islam played a key role by taking six wickets in the second innings to secure victory.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar