Following Pakistan’s innings-and-47-run loss to England in Multan, skipper Shan Masood provided an open evaluation on his team’s performance and obstacles. Pakistan made a solid 550 in their first innings, but they failed to build on that performance and found it difficult to gain the ten wickets needed to take the lead.

“We’ve spoken about the third and fourth innings, but ultimately, this is a team sport. As a team, everything has benefits and drawbacks. It’s crucial to support your 556 on the scoreboard with 10 wickets. We didn’t do that, Masood said at the post-match press conference.

Masood emphasized how hard it was to chase 220 runs on the fifth day when the chance to limit England’s batting was lost.

We may challenge England for these 220 runs on the fifth day if we take those 10 wickets and limit their total to at least ours. The secret is to figure out as a team how to use the first innings’ batting and bowling to support the team and, ideally, set the stage for the match. We’re having trouble with it,” he said.

The captain of Pakistan complimented England on their ability to take vital wickets, stressing that winning a Test match requires capturing 20 wickets. “England has lessons for us too. They’ve managed to secure those twenty wickets. Cannot win a Test match if they do not take 20 wickets. As a team, we need to work on improving our batting in the second innings, but we also need to learn how to take 20 wickets. That will be our side’s difficulty moving forward, Masood said.

In light of the current series, Masood emphasized the need for consistency and a group attitude. He made the argument that winning teams manage to function well on any field.

We have discussed consistency and team mindset so far in the series. The squad has to do better at finding a route out of the pitch, regardless of how it looks. England demonstrated that. We must give them a great deal of credit. The best format for cricket is test quality. Additionally, you need to figure out how to remove the opposition in the final structure,” he said.

In addition to discussing the team’s and the country’s emotional response to the defeat, Masood also expressed hope for the future.

Conditions might work in your favor or against you at different times. Still, the top teams manage to find a way. We also have a learning curve in terms of how to discover methods to get wickets and score runs. Regular performance is a must in Test cricket. It cannot be compromised. Playing the game is something we love to do. Clearly, the outcomes have damaged us as a country. The fact that you may always try again makes the game so beautiful. You have another chance at life. We’re looking forward to that, so the rapid turnaround could be advantageous for us,” he said.

Assuming responsibility for the group’s output, Masood reaffirmed his resolve to make improvements.

“I never attempt to avoid taking on responsibilities. The fact that Pakistani cricket isn’t receiving the outcomes it deserves hurts. We’re all going to give it our best go and work really hard. And we’re going to make an effort to make it better. We assume full responsibility for the situation. As a team and as a cricket-playing country, we have to get it right,”  he said.