Pakistan captain Shan Masood remains optimistic despite being whitewashed by Bangladesh: 'We're heading in the right direction'

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood refused to make any excuses for the embarrassing whitewash suffered against Bangladesh on home soil. Despite the consecutive losses in the second and final Test in Rawalpindi, Masood maintained that the team was moving in the right direction with regards to their selection process. This statement may sound unusual, but Masood expressed confidence in the team's progress despite the recent setbacks.

Masood and the Pakistan team management were heavily criticised for going into the first Test with a four-pronged pace attack on a pitch that offered little to the fast bowlers. On the other hand, the Bangladesh spinners wreaked havoc in the second innings, scripting a historic first-ever Test win against Pakistan.

Pakistan took drastic measures in the second Test. They went with a pitch that had grass on it but dropped their lead seamers, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, from the XI. The pace set-up of Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad worked wonders in the first innings but then faded.

"Like I said, it's never doom and gloom. You always keep trying, you always come back. You always learn from your mistakes and you try and give people a chance. And I think that we're heading in the right direction. We have been consistent with selection, we had Khurram, Muhammad Ali Daisy, and Mir Hamza play this test series," Masood said in the post-match presentation.

Masood backed the decision to exclude Shaheen and Naseem. He said they play in all three formats, and the team management cannot be harsh on them. He also spoke of the need to discover the potential of other players and nurture them for the future.

"We are trying to keep consistency with red ball performances as well. We've got Shaheen and Nasim back in the fold as well. We can't be harsh on them because they're playing all three formats. If Shaheen has played consistently for a year, you can't just throw them in every game. And you have to build up your stocks as well. So we've got a lot to look at," he added.

On Day 4, the Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie addressed the omission of Shaheen and Naseem from the playing XI and highlighted that the team is not looking to rely on individuals. The iconic Australian pacer stated that he wants to see Shaheen peak and start firing at the top level.

"There are a few things that we are hoping Shaheen can work on. He had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. We want Shaheen Afridi to be at his very best for as much cricket as possible. He is an all-format player, and we have a pretty heavy schedule, and we want him to be fit and firing," he said.

Naseem and Shaheen had a mediocre T20 World Cup, which saw Pakistan crash out in the group stage. Both pacers scythed five wickets each despite playing on a surface that assisted the pacers.

The two bowlers could not do much in the first Test.