Pakistan’s top-order batsman, Shan Masood has been a revelation for Pakistan in the tough South African tour. Shan got his lucky break into the playing XI when Haris Sohail was declared unfit just before the start of the first Test at Centurion.
The left-handed batsman took this golden opportunity with both hands and made a strong comeback into the Test side in the toughest circumstances. Padding up at such short notice, Masood got better and better with each passing innings and has received widespread praise from commentators Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Smith for his technique and composure.Shan looked absolutely assured against the hostile short bowling of Proteas. In the first Test, he came one down while in the second innings he opened the innings with Imam-ul-Haq. The change in the batting order didn’t affect him as he continued to show his form.
The 29-year-old is the leading run scorer after the second Test in the ongoing Test series. In four innings he has scored 189 runs with an impressive average of 47.25. For a batsman who was not even on the radar, it has been a meteoric rise. Scores of 19, 65, 44, 61 in a series where his team’s batting has collapsed are truly remarkable.