Top three contenders to succeed Shan Masood as Pakistan's Test captain

Pakistan’s struggles in home Test matches continue, with six losses out of their last ten games since 2021, while the other four ended in draws. Their last win on home soil came against South Africa in February 2021. 

Under current captain Shan Masood, the team has yet to secure a victory, with his tenure beginning with a 0-3 defeat to Australia followed by a historic 0-2 series loss to Bangladesh at home.

If the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decides to make a change in leadership, several candidates are in the mix. 

Saud Shakeel, who was appointed vice-captain for the recent series against Bangladesh, is seen as a strong contender. The 28-year-old has impressed with his batting, averaging 56.30 in Test cricket and scoring three centuries.

Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has praised Shakeel's leadership, noting his experience in domestic cricket, including leading Sindh to a National T20 Cup victory. However, Shakeel might need more time under Masood’s guidance to adapt to the pressures of international captaincy fully.

Another option is Mohammad Rizwan, who has extensive experience leading domestic teams like Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also captained the Pakistan 'A' team in 2018 and led Multan Sultans to a PSL title. 

Although his previous stint as Test captain during Pakistan's 2020 tour of New Zealand ended in a 0-2 loss, Rizwan has demonstrated his leadership skills in other formats, making him a viable option for the role.

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s former all-format captain, also remains a potential candidate. Under his leadership, Pakistan won 10 out of 20 Test matches, including a 2-0 away victory against Sri Lanka in the current World Test Championship cycle. 

However, Babar stepped down from captaincy in 2023, and the PCB may hesitate to reinstate him due to concerns over the impact on his batting form.

Acknowledging the team's underperformance, Masood reflected on the missed opportunities during his leadership. “There have been four instances during my tenure where we let the opposition back into the contest despite being in a dominant position. We should have capitalised better after reducing them to 26-6. That's something we need to address swiftly," Masood shared during a press conference on Tuesday.

Despite the challenges, Pakistan’s red-ball coach Jason Gillespie has voiced his support for Masood. "Shan has led the side well, but we haven’t performed as a team. We need to improve in certain areas, and I believe in these players. They are talented, and with more consistency, we will see better results," Gillespie said.