Pakistan batter Shan Masood reportedly fears that his recent calf injury could give selectors a reason to drop him from the squad for the upcoming two-Test <a href="https://cricket.international/jintimani-kalita-replaces-renuka-singh-for-indias-womens-odi-series-against-zimbabwe/” title=”Jintimani Kalita Replaces Renuka Singh for India's Women's ODI Series Against Zimbabwe”>series against Sri Lanka. According to a report by PTI, interim coach Mike Hesson is pushing to include young batters Abdullah Fazal and Sameer Minhas.
Masood lost the Test captaincy to Babar Azam in July. Although his tenure included a 2-1 home series win over England in 2024, Pakistan also suffered defeats in Australia and at home against Bangladesh. Since losing the captaincy, he has scored a century against the West Indies and 95 against England.
Shan Masood’s Calf Injury Raises Selection Concerns
Shan Masood picked up a left calf injury while playing for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the President’s Trophy Grade-I tournament. He scored 85 in one innings before retiring hurt on 22 not out against the Oil & Gas team.
The left-handed batter will miss the final round of the domestic competition as he recovers. Reports suggest the injury is not serious, but the rehabilitation period could leave Masood short of match practice before the Sri Lanka series.
His potential absence could open the door for younger batters. Sameer Minhas, 19, is among the players under consideration. He scored 197 runs at an average of 65.66 and a strike rate of 105.34 during the 2026 Under-19 World Cup. He has also made 405 runs in seven First-Class matches at an average of 40.50.
Abdullah Fazal is another option. He has scored 2,369 runs in 32 First-Class matches at an average of 43.07. Fazal also made two half-centuries during his two-Test stint against Bangladesh.
Aaqib Javed Explains Shan Masood’s Removal as Captain
Shan Masood took charge of Pakistan’s Test team before the 2023 tour of Australia, where the side suffered a 3-0 defeat. He led Pakistan in 16 Tests, recording four wins and 12 losses for a 25% win rate. His tenure also included a 2-0 home series defeat against Bangladesh.
National selector Aaqib Javed previously explained that the decision to reinstate Babar Azam was driven by concerns over leadership and game management rather than Masood’s batting.
“The reason for bringing back Babar was that we noted that wherever we played… be it in Australia, South Africa, the West Indies or Bangladesh… we couldn’t dismiss the lower-order batters, even in different conditions with different bowlers, and this, to us, pointed towards issues in leadership and game management,” Aaqib said on a PCB podcast.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test Series 2026 Schedule
Sri Lanka will begin its Pakistan tour with a three-day warm-up match in Islamabad from November 4 to 6. The fixture will give the visitors time to prepare for local conditions before the two-match Test series begins.
As per the schedule, the first Test will take place at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 9 to 13. The teams will then move to Lahore for the second Test at Gaddafi Stadium, scheduled for November 17 to 21.
Both Tests are part of the ICC WTC 2025–27 cycle. Sri Lanka remain mathematically in contention for the WTC 2027 final but are unlikely to finish in the top two. Pakistan have been mathematically eliminated from contention for the final after heavy defeats and points deductions for slow over-rates.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
