Are you in the mood for Shan Masood?
The prolific left-hander enjoyed an encouraging first season as Yorkshire captain in 2023, helping his side navigate a challenging season with three LV= Insurance County Championship wins and scoring 720 runs in seven matches.
Towards the end of the year, he was also appointed as Pakistan’s Test skipper and will now combine both roles.
Masood signed a two-year overseas contract ahead of 2023, joining from Derbyshire having enjoyed a fine first season in county cricket, including back-to-back April 2022 double centuries for the Peakites.
Masood, 34, was born in Kuwait and studied at Durham University, playing three matches for them in 2011. One of them was against Yorkshire at the Racecourse ground, the game in which wicketkeeper Barney Gibson became the youngest English first-class cricketer aged 15 years and 27 days.
By that stage, Masood had already debuted in first-class cricket in Pakistan, for Karachi Whites in October 2007. He has since gone on to top 10,000 runs with 25 centuries, with four of those scored in 33 Test Matches.
He has played all forms of international cricket for Pakistan. Nicknamed Shaani, he made his Test debut in 2013, his ODI debut in 2019 and his T20 debut in 2022.
Masood is a classy top order batter who can put his foot on the gas when required.
He scored two Championship centuries for Yorkshire in his first campaign at Headingley – 192 in a September draw against Glamorgan at Cardiff and then 123 on the final day of the summer to secure an impressive home victory over promoted Worcestershire.
UPDATED: Jan 2024.
