Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood rooted for misfiring Babar Azam to return to his groove amid his lean patch and dwindling form. Recently, Pakistan have found itself on the wrong side of the history books, and the trend continued in the scorching temprature of Multan. On a lucid surface that eventually cracked up as the game progressed, England went 1-0 ahead in the series with an emphatic victory by an inning and 47 runs. Pakistan became the first team in the history of Test cricket to end up losing by an innings despite scoring over 550 in the first attempt.
While centuries came in bulk in Multan, Babar's underwhelming run continued. With scores of 31 and 5, the 29-year-old's slump hit a new low, as his struggle to find consistency goes in avail.
Test format hasn't always been Babar's forte, and once again, he was left exposed in front of an inexperienced English bowling set-up.
Despite Babar's tussle to find that seemingly elusive rich vein of form, Masood backed Pakistan's "best batter" and feels he is just one game away from stamping his authority.
"We want to build a squad mentality. We don't play a lot of Test cricket. Especially as a batter, it is not easy. You have to give a lot of opportunities, and there is no doubt that Babar Azam is Pakistan's best batter. You always have to keep in mind that your best batter is just one game away. We will reflect and see the conditions that will be on offer. We will try to put the best team on the side," Masood said in the post-match press conference.
From many setbacks that Pakistan suffered over five days, legspinner Abrar Ahmed's illness haunted them the most. Abrar was taken to hospital after he complained of body aches and a high fever on the morning of Day 4.
As a result, Pakistan was deprived of a bowling option, which put extra pressure on their mainstays to deliver on a benign Multan pitch.
"Unfortunately, Abrar's condition has been really worse. He has been hospitalised. We are hoping that he recovers quickly," Masood said while talking about Abrar's illness.
Pakistan had the upper hand for the opening two days after launching an all-out assault on England bowlers.
Pakistan tested England's bowling unit's limits to extremity and posted a mammoth total of 556. In reply, Joe Root and Harry Brook bashed away Pakistan with a historic 454-run partnership.
The duo toyed with Pakistan's depleted bowling unit according to their will and sent England on course of victory. England bowlers led an inspired attack, leaving the hosts floundered and making them look out of their depths.
Masood acknowledged the harsh reality that England taught them by going against the odds and sealing a historic victory by tumbling various records.
"England have taught us one thing, and it is the harsh reality for us as well. Find a way. They found a way and picked 20 wickets. As a team, you have to find a way. You can't win a Test match without 20 wickets and a good score in the first inning. We have to find a way to produce winning results," he noted.
"Pitch was the same for both teams, and the line-up was similar as well according to the conditions. But we couldn't execute it well. We can't pinpoint a finger on an individual. We have to see as a team where we lapsed. We are not picking 20 wickets or even 10. At least not in the way that can help us drive the game," Masood remarked.
As Pakistan's streak extended to six consecutive defeats in Masood's captaincy, Pakistan will try to bounce back in the second Test, beginning on Tuesday in Multan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)