Shan Masood, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, made the strategic decision to bowl first against Australia in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

After winning the toss, Masood explained that his decision was influenced by the successful performance of bowling sides in MCG Tests over the past three years.

"Just having looked at the MCG Tests for the past three years, the bowling side has done well. There's been a bit of weather around so we'd just like to avail every opportunity with the ball. Given the weather and past T20 World Cup experience, we are expecting lateral movement. Hoping it won't deteriorate like Perth. Bowlers should find support, yet batters can capitalize on shot value," Masood said.

Masood also opened up about leaving specialist spinner Sajid Khan out and going with four pacers.

"We did [think about playing Sajid Khan] but looking at the ground and the T20 World Cup last year, it was seam heavy, and I thought Agha did a decent job in Perth to keep one end quite economical, so we'll try and do the same," he added.

Australia's captain, Pat Cummins, acknowledged that they were also contemplating bowling first. He noted the hardness of this year's pitch compared to previous years, with some grass cover and cloud presence.

"We were going to have a bowl as well. This year's pitch feels a little bit harder than previous years. There's a bit of grass, a bit of cloud cover but we're not too upset to have a bat," Cummins said.