Masood noted that the Test match slipped away when Pakistan allowed Bangladesh to recover from 26 for 6 in their first innings and eventually reach 262. He also highlighted the need for better fitness standards. “In Test cricket, you need to have the fitness to last five days and also have the intensity for five days, and I think that is one area in which we really need to work a lot more. I think because of this we couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities to push Bangladesh out of the game,” he added.

The 34-year-old captain dismissed suggestions that the management made errors in selecting the playing eleven. “Sometimes we can make mistakes in selection, but it is not intentional and we picked the best eleven we could given the conditions in both Tests,” he insisted. “The thing is we need to play more red-ball cricket. That is the bottom line,” he concluded.

Masood defended Babar Azam, who struggled in the series, making just 64 runs across two matches at an average of 16. “We are not playing red-ball cricket even at the domestic level, so how do we replace out-of-form players? But Babar has made runs in the past and he will do it again,” Masood said.

Pakistan’s red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie, expressed support for Masood. “Shan, I feel, has led the side very well. We just haven’t played well as a team, and that’s the reality. We need to sharpen up on certain areas. I really want to back and believe in these players. They are good enough and have shown glimpses of how good we are. We just need to do it more often and consistently,” Gillespie said.