Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood is again in the limelight as he attracts sharp questions regarding his individual performances in red-ball cricket. Though he guided Pakistan to a Test series victory against England, at home, Masood remains under the scanner for his inconsistent batting performance in the format. Masood has played 40 Test matches in which he has scored runs at an average of 30.12, regarded by many as low enough for a top-order batsman. As Pakistan prepares to start their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the left-hander was asked aggressively by a reporter whether he can take the team forward. Shan Masood's Reply to Criticism In the pre-match press conference, a Pakistani reporter questioned Masood himself regarding his poor performance, stating, "Aapki apni performance ko leke kaafi baat ho rahi hai ki captain lead from the front karte hai lekin humare Test captain lead from the front nahi kar rahe. Uske baare main bata de. (There is a lot of chatter about your performance. People say our captain is not leading from the front. Please comment on that.)" In response, Masood calmly defended himself, asking the journalist to back his claims with facts. “If you give me numbers, then I will answer this question. We are just repeating one thing. We are playing in such conditions where our priority is to take 20 wickets. We don't want to play on wickets where Tests are drawn. To excel in WTC, you must win matches. We need to lower our expectations when it comes to cumulative averages.” Also Read | Mystery Girl Proposes Shubman Gill in Second Test Against West Indies He added further: “If you look at the WTC cycle for the last period, I am among the top run-scorers for Pakistan. Unfortunately, the results haven't come, and we consider it a cumulative failure.” Watch the video here: Shan Masood speaks about his performance in response to a journalist’s question#TOKSports #ShanMasood #PakvSa pic.twitter.com/6T37YQlQqP — TOK Sports (@TOKSports021) October 11, 2025 Masood's calm response not only showed his maturity but also emphasized the challenging balance Pakistan has to strike between preparing result-driven pitches and backing their batting unit. Pakistan Ready to Start New WTC Cycle vs South Africa Pakistan will begin their new WTC cycle against South Africa, captained by Aiden Markram, from Sunday, October 12, in Lahore. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's return will bring power to the team since they are likely to have significant roles in the ongoing series. South Africa, meanwhile, will be without regular captain Temba Bavuma, who is injured. The Proteas will be counting on their veteran pace attack to push Pakistan in subcontinental conditions. Following the two-Test series against Pakistan, the Proteas will tour India for another two-match Test series. Pakistan are still pursuing their first appearance in a WTC Final, and South Africa are the current champions following their victory in the previous edition by beating Australia at Lord's. As the WTC cycle starts, attention will all be on Shan Masood, not only as a skipper but as a batsman eager to shut his critics up with runs to his name.