{"id":191634,"date":"2026-07-08T15:22:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T20:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=191634"},"modified":"2026-07-08T15:22:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T20:52:49","slug":"shan-masoods-leadership-game-management-issues-behind-babar-azams-captaincy-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=191634","title":{"rendered":"Shan Masood\u2019s leadership, game-management issues behind Babar Azam\u2019s captaincy return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-body-71199642\">Senior Pakistan Cricket Board selector Aaqib Javed has blamed sacked Test captain Shan Masood and the team management for the recurring leadership and game-management issues, saying they were the reason behind bringing back Babar Azam as captain in the longest format.<\/p>\n<p>The former Pakistan pace bowler added that individual performances were not the reason for the captaincy change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason for bringing back Babar was that we noted that wherever we played&#8230;be it in Australia, South Africa, the West Indies or Bangladesh&#8230;we couldn\u2019t dismiss the lower-order batters, even in different conditions with different bowlers, and this, to us, pointed towards issues in leadership and game management,\u201d Aaqib said in a PCB podcast.<\/p>\n<p>Aaqib, who is also the director of high performance in the PCB, believes Babar is the right candidate to provide long-term stability as Pakistan prepare for challenging Test tours of the West Indies and England.<\/p>\n<p>The former Test pacer said the PCB would back Babar as Test captain as part of a long-term programme and that he would not be judged for the next two or three years.<\/p>\n<p>Aaqib said Babar had enough cricketing maturity and experience to lead the team well and that he remained a key player.<\/p>\n<p><b>ALSO READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/sarfaraz-ahmed-pakistan-head-coach-fitness-concerns-west-indies-england-test-tours-quotes-latest-news\/article71198887.ece\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Fitness remains a concern for this team: Sarfaraz Ahmed<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur plan is to give him a two- to three-year run as captain. Every captain brings a fresh mindset, and we expect him to inspire the team through his own performances.\u201d Babar, who stepped down as Test captain in 2023 after being told he would not lead the team in the white-ball formats, has captained Pakistan in 20 Tests between 2020 and 2023, winning 10 matches, losing six and drawing four.<\/p>\n<p>Shan Masood\u2019s tenure as captain was a rocky one, as Pakistan lost 12 of the 16 Tests under his leadership despite a promising start in Australia during the winter of 2023, where they had opportunities to win two Tests.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan are scheduled to depart for the West Indies on July 13, where they will play a four-day warm-up match from July 18 before the two-Test series in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to 29 and August 2 to 6.<\/p>\n<p>Following the Caribbean tour, Pakistan will travel to England for a three-match Test series. The opening Test will be played at Headingley in Leeds from August 19 to 23.<\/p>\n<p class=\"publish-time\" id=\"end-of-article\">Published on Jul 08, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/pakistan-test-captaincy-change-babar-azam-return-reasons-shan-masood-aaqib-javed-latest-news\/article71199642.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senior Pakistan Cricket Board selector Aaqib Javed has blamed sacked Test captain Shan Masood and the team management<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":191635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image2054.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":190093,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=190093","url_meta":{"origin":191634,"position":0},"title":"Babar Azam reappointed as Pakistan Test captain; squads for West Indies, England tours announced","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Babar Azam was on Sunday reappointed as Pakistan\u2019s Test captain, replacing Shan Masood, for the upcoming two-match series in West Indies starting later this month. Babar\u2019s second stint as Test skipper brings down the curtain for Masood, who led Pakistan in 16 matches but lost 12 of them. Pakistan\u2019s high-performance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pakistan_Enlgand_Cricket_96359.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pakistan_Enlgand_Cricket_96359.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pakistan_Enlgand_Cricket_96359.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pakistan_Enlgand_Cricket_96359.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pakistan_Enlgand_Cricket_96359.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":190009,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=190009","url_meta":{"origin":191634,"position":1},"title":"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi enters exclusive list: Youngest debutants from full member nations","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was handed his international debut ahead of India\u2019s second T20I against England in Manchester on Saturday. At just 15 years of age, he joins an exclusive list of players, including Pakistan\u2019s Aaqib Javed and Mushtaq Mohammad, from full member nations to play for their country while still in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_SOORYAVANSHI_1_2_1_DCG3ARSP.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_SOORYAVANSHI_1_2_1_DCG3ARSP.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_SOORYAVANSHI_1_2_1_DCG3ARSP.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_SOORYAVANSHI_1_2_1_DCG3ARSP.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_SOORYAVANSHI_1_2_1_DCG3ARSP.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":176939,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=176939","url_meta":{"origin":191634,"position":2},"title":"PAK vs AUS, 3rd ODI: Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam shine as Pakistan clinches series against Australia","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pakistan overcame the Australian spin challenge on a tricky wicket to win the third and final One Day International (ODI) by four wickets and clinch the series 2-1 on Thursday. Pakistan had to fight hard on a turning wicket to reach 161 for six in 41.5 overs after Australia had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780630811_Pakistan_Australia_Cricket_28533.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780630811_Pakistan_Australia_Cricket_28533.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780630811_Pakistan_Australia_Cricket_28533.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780630811_Pakistan_Australia_Cricket_28533.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780630811_Pakistan_Australia_Cricket_28533.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":180351,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=180351","url_meta":{"origin":191634,"position":3},"title":"Mohsin Naqvi to rope in more former players for Pakistan cricket advisory panel","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pakistan cricket chief Mohsin Naqvi is set to induct three to four former Test and international stalwarts to help him in his bid to bring about improvements in the under-fire system of the game. 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Australia: Matthew Short, Alex\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780140376_image2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780140376_image2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780140376_image2020.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780140376_image2020.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780140376_image2020.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":175850,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=175850","url_meta":{"origin":191634,"position":5},"title":"PAK vs AUS Live Score, 2nd ODI: Inglis, Green rebuild after Australia loses three early wickets","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello and welcome to Sportstar\u2019s LIVE coverage of the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia, being held in Lahore on Tuesday.PLAYING XIAustralia: Alex Carey, Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (wk) (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Oliver Peake, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa. Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image202.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image202.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image202.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image202.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image202.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-NQS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=191634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/191635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=191634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=191634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=191634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}