LAHORE: Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood on Saturday acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the behaviour of the Gaddafi Stadium pitch during a five-day game against South Africa.
Addressing a pre-match press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa, the Pakistan skipper emphasised the importance of capitalising on home conditions to win games and earn crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points.
“It is very important to do well in all home Test series and one odd win in an away series in order to be better placed in the World Test Championship (WTC) table,” Masood said.
The Pakistan skipper, however, conceded that it was difficult to predict how the newly-laid pitch would behave in a five-day game.
Masood stated that his focus was on result-oriented pitches, as opposed to flat surfaces that lead to high-scoring drawn games.
“We plan to get 20 wickets and wish to break away from the historically produced pitches in the country,” he said.
The Pakistan skipper also expressed satisfaction with his individual batting performance during the previous WTC cycle, saying that his performance was criticised due to the “accumulative failure” of the team.
While the Pakistan captain remained tight-lipped about the Playing XI, he said that the side might play two fast bowlers and as many spinners.
‘Spin conditions a fair challenge’
South African stand-in captain Aiden Markram said Pakistan were well within their rights to prepare extreme turning wickets for the series, which starts on Sunday.
Their 2-1 series win over England a year ago came after they had used a pair of giant windbreaks, two outsized fans and six patio heaters to accelerate the deterioration of the pitch and create a surface that offered spinners maximum turn and grip.
It was a successful ploy as they came back from losing the first Test to trump England in conditions that losing captain Ben Stokes called “pretty extreme”.
But Markram, who leads South Africa in place of injured skipper Temba Bavuma, said that was all part of the challenge.
“We saw how things turned out in the English series,” he told a press conference. “That was obviously Pakistan’s way of trying to win, and it’s completely fair, and we look forward to that challenge.”
South Africa had worked hard in preparing, he added, creating wickets with extreme spin to practice on at a training camp before their departure.
“That’s where most of the focus has been, naturally looking forward to the challenges that Pakistan pose in terms of spin-friendly tracks.
“As a team that’s not exposed to those conditions, it’s exciting for us and a great opportunity to get things right in these conditions. We’re trying to put a lot of the focus there, and ultimately put five days of good cricket together for the first Test.”
Besides Bavuma, South Africa must do without their lead spinner Keshav Maharaj, who misses the first Test as he recovers from a groin strain.
“We’ll miss Kesh heaps,” Markram told reporters. “He’s incredible, even when the ball doesn’t spin, so it’s a big loss for us but it’s an opportunity for two or three other new spinners of ours to put their hand up and stake a claim, which is really exciting.”
Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer, who last played a Test two years ago, are likely to be in the team.
