Shan Masood opens up about dual wicketkeeper dilemma for Australia tour

Shan Masood, the newly-appointed Test captain of Pakistan, has expressed his confidence in Sarfaraz Ahmed as the first choice wicketkeeper for the upcoming Test tour of Australia.

While speaking in the press conference on Wednesday in Lahore, Masood highlighted Sarfaraz's stellar performance in the last home series against New Zealand, where he was named the player of the series.

“Sarfaraz was player of the series in the last home series against New Zealand. He also performed well in Sri Lanka and secured his spot in the team. He is the settled wicketkeeper in this team,” Shan said.

Masood acknowledged the potential need for Mohammad Rizwan as a batsman, citing his impressive track record in Australia.

“We might require Rizwan as a batsman. His track record is fantastic in Australia. He was one of the top-scorer when we last toured Australia for Test matches,” he said.

In anticipation of varying conditions, Masood hinted at the possibility of adjusting the team composition, potentially opting for an additional batter at the expense of a spinner.

“We will go there [Australia] and assess the conditions and then decide our playing XI,” Shan said.

“We might encounter a situation where we might have to drop a spinner and play an extra batter, so Rizwan can come into the fore then,” he added.