Shan Masood is a Pakistani left-handed opening batsman who was born in Kuwait on October 14, 1989. Due to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the outbreak of the Gulf War, Masood’s family fled to Pakistan when he was very young.
Masood’s greatest obstacle in his early career, as the son of a member of the PCB’s Board of Governors, was to demonstrate that he was in the Pakistan team on merit, not because of other reasons. However, he performed well enough to win a place in the national Test team.
Background
Masood has played for Pakistan at the U15 and U19 ranks on a regular basis. Masood, a stylish left-handed opener, rose to prominence after a superb knock of 80+ against Australia in an U19 match in 2007.
Masood made his first-class debut in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for Karachi Knights in 2007.
When playing against the Hyderabad Division Cricket Association, he scored 54 runs as an anchor.
He also played a crucial role in Habib Bank Limited’s success in the 2011 tournament.
In 2009, he was a standout performer for Stamford School in England, hitting 1237 runs at an average of 103, which was a school record at the time.
He also represented Durham University in three first-class games, facing Liam Plunkett, Graham Onions, and Ajmal Shahzad.
His results there earned him a place in the Wisden Book of 2009 as the best ‘Schoolboy batsman,’ alongside the likes of Nasser Hussain and Alastair Cook.
He had featured in 97 First-Class and 30 List-A matches, scoring 5,197 runs and 738 runs respectively, while also taking seven domestic wickets.
Debut
Masood was selected for his Test debut based on his results in the domestic circuit.
He made his Test debut against South Africa in the UAE on October 14, 2014. The range of shots in his arsenal left South Africa’s mighty bowling attack stumped.
Prior to his discharge, he amassed a respectable 75-run total.
Rise to glory
Shan, who had seven first-class scores in the anxious nineties, was not going to give up the chance to score his first hundred in the international arena in the series against Sri Lanka.
In 2015, his 125-run innings helped Pakistan secure a historic series against Sri Lanka.
Low points
His return to Pakistan after finishing his education in England showed the stark reality of the difference a year can create. He had lost not only the momentum offered by the U-19 stage, but he had also become a forgotten name.
He went into the wilderness after his debut match, in which he delivered a scintillating knock of 75, due to back-to-back bad results.
Masood wants to secure his place as a trustworthy opener in the national team right now.