"Changes needed are structural": Shaan Masood after Bangladesh whitewash

Sylhet [Bangladesh], May 20 (ANI): Pakistan Test captain Shaan Masood has called for "structural changes" following his side's 0-2 series whitewash against Bangladesh, stressing that the focus should be on long-term improvement rather than emotional reactions.
Pakistan suffered a 78-run defeat in the second and final Test in Sylhet on Wednesday, sealing a series sweep for Bangladesh and intensifying scrutiny over the team's performance in the longest format of the game.
Speaking during the post-match press conference, Masood said his intentions have always been to strengthen Test cricket in Pakistan and that any reforms must come through the cricket board.
"My intentions are clean. I took on this job to improve our Test cricket. There are things that need to be discussed with the board and the decision is always the board's. But my intentions have always been on how to improve this side because [I feel] you should always take on challenges and accept opportunities," Skipper Shaan Masood said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
He further emphasised that improvement should come from consistent planning rather than sweeping changes.
"It will always be my effort in any capacity - it doesn't have to be that I do it sitting in the captaincy chair, or the player chair, wherever. You don't know where life will take you, but I've always worn this shirt with pride and put everything aside for this. I think at this moment, instead of just talking about change, we need to think about how to improve Pakistan's Test cricket."
Masood added that Pakistan must analyse both strengths and weaknesses to reduce costly mistakes in Test matches.
"There's many things that we need to build on. You won't build from wholesale changes, you will build from identifying what we do well, what we do badly. How can we reduce those mistakes because as I've said before, in Tests mistakes over five days are very costly."
He also called for structural reforms, urging the team and management to move beyond emotional responses after defeats.
"[The] changes needed are structural. For those changes you address root causes and put aside emotions. We are hurt and always offer our sincerest apologies. We won't look at it emotionally though, just how we can improve it."
Reflecting on the series loss, Masood admitted Pakistan had opportunities in both Tests but failed to capitalise on key moments.
"If we talk about the series, yes, it's never a good place to lose games," he said. "But again, in this series, I thought in both matches we've had significant chances to do well in the game. And I think we have to look at ourselves, we have to reflect on ourselves, whether that's batting, bowling, or fielding, and see where we lost the game. And that's where I feel that we need to go forward as a side."
Bangladesh registered a historic 2-0 Test series whitewash over Pakistan with a 78-run victory in the second and final Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Chasing a challenging target of 437, Pakistan were bowled out for 358 on Day 5 despite fighting half-centuries and key partnerships led by Shan Masood and Babar Azam.
The win was set up by strong performances across all three innings, including Litton Das' 126 in the first innings and Mushfiqur Rahim's 137 in the third innings, which helped Bangladesh post 390 and set up a daunting target. Taijul Islam starred with a match-winning six-wicket haul in the final innings, dismantling the Pakistan batting line-up.
Pakistan had earlier conceded a 46-run first-innings lead after being bowled out for 232, with Babar Azam scoring 68. Despite moments of resistance in the final innings, including a 134-run stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Agha, Bangladesh's spin attack proved decisive.
The result marks Bangladesh's first Test series whitewash over Pakistan at home and their second overall, following a similar 2-0 win in Pakistan in 2024. (ANI)