Pakistan aim for big push in upcoming WTC assignments

With two wins from their five Tests so far, Pakistan have a point percentage of 36.66%, which has placed them below India, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. But with much to play for still in their campaign (nine Tests remaining), seven of which are at home, Pakistan are fancying their chances to climb to the top two.

If they win all their contests, they’ll end up with a point percentage of 77.38% and will be almost certain to play their maiden WTC final.

Speaking ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh, Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood acknowledged as much, stating that the side would look to make the best of their home advantage.

“There’s a lot to play for in the World Test Championship. The top two places are yet to be decided, and it can still go with any side,” he said.

Pakistan will face-off against Bangladesh (two Tests), England (three Tests), and West Indies (two Tests), while also touring South Africa (two Tests), in the upcoming months.

“Our effort would be to make the best use of the home advantage in our seven Tests. And obviously, even in South Africa, we can gain points and win a series, which is a great opportunity for us,” Masood said.

World Test Championship: State of Play ahead of next year's final

Masood went on to discuss PCB’s new coaching appointments, especially in the Test format, where Jason Gillespie takes over as the head coach, and Tim Nielsen takes the role of red-ball high-performance coach.

“The recent appointments of Jason Gillespie and Tim Nielson are an exciting opportunity for Pakistan cricket. Two experienced coaches have come in both white-ball and red-ball cricket for us, they were big players in their respective fields.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for us, as players, to get exposure to Gillespie, Nielsen, and Gary Kirsten [white-ball head coach].”

Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh kicks off on 21 August in Rawalpindi. Saud Shakeel has been named as the new Pakistan Test vice-captan ahead of the series.