Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to ax Shan Masood as Test captain ahead of the upcoming tours of West Indies and England.The PCB has reappointed Babar Azam to lead the Test squad but Raja feels Shan has been unfairly blamed for the team’s poor performance.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Raja said that although Shan’s squad is not strong enough, it is still expected to deliver results. “You give him an average Test team and expect him to do well,” Ramiz commented.He added that if he were in Shan’s position, he would question the board’s decision. “If I had been in Sole’s position, I would have submitted a written protest to the board. How can you expect a positive outcome when a captain has been given to a group of ordinary players?” said Raja.He also defended Shan, questioning why the captain should be held solely responsible. “If the quality of the Test team is not good, how can the captain take the responsibility?” he added.Shan Masood has led Pakistan in 16 Tests since December 2023, but the team has lost 12 of them.Senior selector Aqib Javed recently blamed Shan’s leadership for the poor results, a view that Raja disagrees with, saying the captain can only perform as well as the players available to him.Pakistan have now restored Babar Azam as Test captain. The team will travel to the West Indies for two Test matches on July 13 before heading to England for three more Test matches in August and September.
