The Pakistan Super League came to an end earlier this month, as Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans in a tight summit clash. The league proved to be an audition of sorts for several Pakistan players on the fringes of the national squad, giving them a chance to be selected for the T20 World Cup.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selected a squad of 29 players to take part in a training camp ahead of the home series against New Zealand and England, which will double up as preparation for the T20 World Cup.
While this is the focus for now, it is slightly lower on the priority order for some players, like Test captain Shan Masood.
'Huge honour' - Shan Masood shares his dream of leading Pakistan against India in Test cricket
Masood took over as Pakistan's red-ball captain following the stepping down of Babar Azam after the World Cup in India last October. He had a difficult start, as his first assignment was a tour to Australia which ended 3-0 in the hosts' favour.
In an interview with Wisden on Wednesday, Masood spoke about his dream to lead Pakistan against arch-rivals India, saying,
My greatest memory has been playing India in the 2022 T20 World Cup at the MCG – it was around 94,000 people and that was surreal.
You want to play the best teams in the world and India is certainly one of the best, especially when it comes to Test cricket. We just saw a very exciting India versus England series. I would love for that (India v Pakistan) to happen. It’d be a great honour to lead Pakistan against India.
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The two teams have not played any bilateral cricket mainly due to political reasons since 2013, with the last Test between the sides coming way back in 2008. They have met in various ICC tournaments such as the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and World Cup, as well as the Asia Cup.
India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group for the T20 World Cup, and will play against each other on June 9 in New York.
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