Shan Masood says he wished to play county cricket because of 'high standards'

• Shan says consistency is most important factor at any level in cricket. 
• He says he chose Derbyshire CCC because of Mickey Arthur.
• Shan scored 844 runs in 6 matches at end of first round of county championship. 

DERBY: Pakistani Test cricketer and opening batsman Shan Masood is playing county championship division two for the first time representing Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

In an exclusive interview with Geo.tv, Shan said that he has wished to play county cricket for a long time as the standards are very high. "English conditions are always tough for batsmen whether it’s red-ball cricket or white ball, especially at a time when the English team is ranked at the top in white-ball cricket," he replied.

During the interview, the player called consistency the most important factor at any level in cricket. "Whenever I go to the ground, I try to play every ball on its merit, build my innings in small steps and try to carry on that process regularly," he said.

Talking about his relationship with former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur, the player said he chose Derbyshire CCC because of him. "I hope he’s happy with my performance so far and I will try my best to improve that even more," he added.

He said that Arthur placed his trust in him and he gave him the desired results. He said he had the better timing by getting a chance to perform at the right moment due to Arthur. He said that the former Pakistan coach showed him the big picture of what changes he needed to bring in his game. "We did use to have some harsh conversations too as he told where I faulted in my game," he added.

Shan said that playing with Andy Flower for Multan Sultans developed his game a lot.

"I’ve never paid much attention to these labels, every person has a right to have an opinion. What I’ve always tried to do is remember what are my limitations and to what extent I can cross these limits or even extend or pass these limits and how much further I can go," he said while talking about the perceptions about his batting style more suitable for Test cricket.

Talking about domestic cricket, the Test cricketer said that any player can perform in any format of cricket. "We have glittering examples of captain Babar Azam and wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan who are playing in all three formats at the international level and performing exceptionally well which is not easy at all," said Shan, adding that he can adjust to various formats easily.

The star player also talked about his exclusion from the Test series against Australia and said that he is not disappointed. He added he will be will try to improve himself as a player.

When asked if he is ready to play at any other position, Shan said the main thing for him is to play for Pakistan and this will be a decision made by the team management, selectors and the captain. "I will be ready to play at any position for the team where required," he added.

Upon being asked if he is going to make a comeback in the national squad, Shan said it is a great honour to play for Pakistan. "A lot of big level cricket is coming up in the future and nothing better to represent your country but if it doesn't happen then will wait for my chance patiently," he added.

Discussing his personal life about the passing of his sister, Shan said "people learn a lot from the setbacks we face in our life".

"I think I’ve learnt that in a harder way after that personal tragedy. The death of my sister has taught me a lot about life, the most important thing I learnt is that at the end of the day cricket is just a game, we should enjoy this game but never should let this game control our brains," he added.

He said he is thankful to Allah for playing in England where cricket was invented. "To come here from Pakistan and perform here is very fortunate for me and my fellow players and for that we are all very grateful to the Almighty," the player said. 

In the month of April, Shan scored 713 runs setting a new record in the county championship. For that stellar performance, Shan received the Professional Cricketers Association’s Player of the Month award for April.

The left-handed opening batsman has been in sublime form so far scoring 844 runs in six matches at the end of the first round of the county championship. Overall Shan stands in the second spot in the list of players who have scored the most runs so far in the county championship. 

So far, the star player has scored two double hundreds, one century and three fifties. His rare failure came in the last game of the first round of the championship against Nottinghamshire where he managed to score only 18 in the first innings and was out for a duck in the second.

Shan debuted for Pakistan in 2013 and so far has represented Pakistan in 25 tests scoring 1378 runs. He has played five one day internationals (ODIs) as well. He last played for Pakistani in January 2021 against New Zealand, but after a dip in his form, he has been out of the team since then.

Soon the batsman will be in action again in the T20 cricket where he will be representing Derbyshire Falcons in the T20 Blast.