NEW DELHI: Former England captain Nasser Hussain did not hold back in his analysis of Pakistan captain Shan Masood’s tactics during England’s response to Pakistan’s first-innings 366 in the ongoing second Test in Multan.
Hussain, speaking on Sky Sports, criticized Masood for his field placements, especially against the aggressive batting of Ben Duckett, who notched a brisk 53 not out to help England reach 88/1 at Tea on Day 2.
Hussain stressed that Duckett’s sweeps are a predictable feature of his batting, something a captain should prepare for.
“Stand in front of Duckett, look at the angles, and get those fielders in the right position because if they’re in the right position, then Duckett has to hit it in other areas. It’s not easy because he’s got varieties of them. But you’ve got to cover those boundary options to get Duckett frustrated that he’s not getting a boundary,” said Hussain. However, Masood’s indecisiveness, according to him, gave Duckett free rein to accumulate runs. “But at the moment, in that little passage of play, Shan Masood completely looked lost as to what to do. And he must have known it was coming.”
Hussain cited examples from England’s own history of facing sweep-heavy batsmen. “When we had tours of the subcontinent, Duncan Fletcher was a massive believer in the sweep. Marcus Trescothick was known for the sweeps he had. He had Graham Thorpe. It is a nightmare as an opposition captain.”
The former skipper suggested that Masood should have taken more proactive control instead of relying on wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. “I want to see Shan, as a left-hander, walk out from short mid-wicket instead of leaving it to Rizwan,” Hussain recommended positions such as deep square leg and mid-wicket to stifle the sweeps and force Duckett to play in less comfortable areas.
Hussain also compared Masood’s tactics unfavourably with Pat Cummins, referencing the Australian captain’s preparedness during the Ashes. “That’s where you go back to Pat Cummins. He knew what was coming. In the first ball of the Ashes, he had a man out for Zak Crawley. It didn’t make any difference. He smashed it for four. But you do know what’s coming from this England side. So you must prepare before, and I don’t think they did,” Hussain concluded.
