Shan Masood Named Test Captain as Pakistan Cricket Board Considers Sarfaraz for Coaching Duties

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is gearing up to keep Shan Masood as the captain of the Test team, while it looks like former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed will step in as the new head coach. We can expect an official announcement about both roles once the board finalizes the schedule for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.

Sources say that the two Tests are tentatively set to kick off on May 8 and May 16, although the venues are still waiting for confirmation from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which should be coming soon. It seems that Sarfaraz will be taking on this role for the first time, stepping in for Azhar Mahmood, while still juggling his responsibilities as a national selector.

Masood, who’s already at the helm of the red-ball team, is likely to keep his position as part of the board’s strategy to maintain stability within the Test setup. Pakistan is expected to participate in three Test series during the current cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27, facing off against Bangladesh, the West Indies, and England.

Last year, Pakistan only played a two-match Test series against South Africa, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Since then, the national team hasn’t had any red-ball matches. In the current coaching lineup, Mike Hesson is the head coach for white-ball formats, while Shaheen Shah Afridi leads the ODI team and Salman Ali Agha is at the helm of the T20I squad.

Meanwhile, a red-ball training camp is currently taking place at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, overseen by Sarfaraz and supported by national academy coaches. This camp has also brought attention to some emerging talent, including the promising opener Azan Awais. At just 21 years old, he has been making waves in domestic red-ball cricket. 

He topped the batting charts in the 2024–25 season with an impressive 844 runs for Sialkot Region and shone in his debut Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season, scoring four centuries and two half-centuries, playing a crucial role in Sialkot’s title-winning journey. The 21-year-old has been on fire, scoring 578 runs in the President’s Trophy Grade I, and he kept that momentum going in the 2025–26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, racking up 803 runs to lead his team to the final. Playing for SNGPL, he added another 448 runs to his impressive total.

Reflecting on his growth, he mentioned that the ongoing red-ball camp at the NCA is a fantastic chance for him to sharpen his skills. He emphasized that the last two seasons have been pivotal for his first-class career, sharing that a recent tour of England really helped him adjust to tough conditions and gave his confidence a nice boost. 

The young opener made it clear that his ultimate dream is to represent Pakistan in all formats, with Test cricket holding a particularly special place in his heart.