NICK HOWSON speaks to the Pakistan opener who has enjoyed a remarkable start to his county cricket career at Derbyshire and is now eyeing an international return in time to face England
Two double centuries in nine days. Three runs short of the world record for first-class runs in April. The biggest knock by a Derbyshire player for nine years. County cricket's leading scorer after four rounds. The season's first PCA player of the month.
And yet, Shan Masood isn't even in the form of his life.
"The List A season in 2017/18 was a real purple patch, when I ended up scoring the most runs in a calendar year," Masood tells The Cricketer about a period in which he struck 1,288 runs to help Islamabad reach the One-Day Cup Regions final and United Bank Limited win the One-Day Cup Departments. "That is a period that I won't forget.
"You get those from time to time and when you do hit a purple patch you want to be as consistent as possible and stretch it for as long as possible.
"It is about taking it a day at a time and staying humble and hungry for the next innings as possible."
Even if we're to believe the humble Masood when he says his start to the English summer isn't his finest streak in the middle, it has still been a mighty start to the campaign.
Nick Compton's April run record of 715 might be safe for another year (Masood failed by three to break it) and Sean Dickson and Cheteshwar Pujara may have stormed ahead in the race to 1,000, but few have looked as poised and composed as the Pakistan opener.
"This is where the mental side comes in and playing it ball by ball, not thinking about the bigger picture, the long picture or getting a particular number of runs, playing in a particular month, or playing against a particular bowling attack," he says about the psychology of batting.
"First of all, you have to be comfortable in your own skin, in your own head and in your own game and that is what I am looking to do - I am looking to play ball-by-ball.
"If the first ball of the game deserves to go for a boundary I am going to go after it and if I am on a hundred and there is a ball that deserves respect you respect it.
Masood kicked off his 2022 with a fine PSL campaign (Arfi Ali/Getty Images)
"You don't look at the scoreboard, you don't look at the externals you play it at a ball at a time, being really present.
"And being present starts from being off the field, switching off, switching on and when you go to the practice make sure you practice your game. Be purposeful with your practice."
A spell in county cricket has been a long time coming for the left-hander. He plundered runs for Stamford School while in England for his A-Levels, and in 2011 played first-class cricket for Durham MCCU, where he studied economics, facing Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Chris Rushworth and Liam Plunkett along the way.
He's since returned to feature in two-Test series with Pakistan; in 2016 when he only lasted two matches before being dropped, and in 2020 which began with a career-best 156 at Old Trafford but ended with 22 runs from the last four innings.
"I've actually been targeting county cricket for a long time," he admits.
"No.1 just to play cricket and at a good standard. It is a decent standard. You have a lot of great players that have played for England, that are playing for England and that are in contention to play for England.
"A lot of experienced first-class players who have mastered their trade here for years.
"And just how in a domestic environment can still have the international set-up and the professionalism of international cricket. That is very big.
"Throwing myself out in an environment where conditions are good for developing yourself as a cricketer, that has lured me.
"Just being away for six months, playing the game you love but still away from your comfort zone and your own environment helps build you as a person.
Masood celebrates his career-best Test score at Old Trafford (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
"The first prerequisite to being a good cricketer is first being really comfortable in your own skin. Being away from home, being on your own, helps you develop as a person as well, not just a cricketer."
The story of how a chance encounter with Mickey Arthur in Dubai last November led to Masood moving to Derbyshire is well told. Masood only made 13 appearances for Pakistan during Arthur's spell in charge before a post-2019 World Cup review sparked his departure, but his outlook on professionalism, excellence and commitment rubbed off immediately.
"He will do anything under the sun to make sure you are prepared, feeling good, he's got your back and he will demand the highest standards from you," he explained of Arthur's much-documented approach.
"He will never accept you resting on your laurels. He'll show you what world-class is, and he'll push you to be that particular player.
"He literally means it, there is 100 per cent honesty with him, probably one of the best man-managers that you can come across. He deals with different people with how that person should be dealt with.
"He will really push you to be your best and he demands nothing but the best. It is quite pushy but in a good sense. He wants you to be the best and believe that you can be the best so playing under him is a privilege and long may it continue."
Beyond leading Pakistan to Champions Trophy glory in 2017 and No.1 in the ICC Test and T20I rankings, Arthur enacted change that is still evident today, more than two years since his departure. He established new standards regarding fitness and fielding, refreshed an outdated approach to white-ball cricket and brought through a fresh wave of talent including Babar Azam, Hassan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf.
"Mickey spent a good three years over there, he felt like he was at home and wanted to take them to the next level and he could have done that," said Masood.
"You have to look at the changes that happened in the whole setup. In terms of the players, they still love Mickey, they're in touch with him and they loved working under him for every second.
"All good things come to an end and that, unfortunately, happened with Mickey. What happens in the future I don't know but it was great to have Mickey and he set a great standard when it came to fitness, fielding, and training.
"If you look at the Pakistan guys train now, they are a product of the system that was introduced by Mickey Arthur.
"You can never say never (about a return) and I am sure if you asked him if he would like to work for Pakistan he would say yes.
"I am sure if you asked the Pakistan boys if they would want Mickey to come back, they would yes. The feeling would always be mutual.
"We loved working under him, and he lied pushing us to the limits, pushing us to be the best and a lot of the guys are reaping the rewards for how they were pushed by Mickey."
Arthur was among the first to contact Masood when news broke of the passing of his sister Meeshu, aged 30, last October. Beset with a rare genetic disease, she was dependent on family for care, a responsibility that would have sat on Masood's shoulder in later life.
Her passing has left an indelible mark on Masood, who while celebrating her perseverance now views his own achievements and failures through a fresh prism - changing his relationship with cricket and family.
"This happened at a time when we were playing the National T20 Cup and I didn't have the best of games (1 and 12 against Northern and Central Punjab). I was looking to score runs and put my name forwards for selection," he explained.
"I was really worried about my performances. At the same time, I got a phone call from my parents saying my sister had passed away and I rushed back to Karachi to attend her funeral.
"I went back to complete the back-end of the tournament (Sindh reached the semi-finals) but once I was done with the tournament, I felt that I didn't want to be in that place.
"And it made me realise the bigger purposes to life. Cricket is important, it is my profession, it is a pastime.
Masood is hopeful of an international return across the formats (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
"But I think family, health, friends they all matter more. And once you lose someone so close to you, she was the most precious thing in our lives, it teaches you that you might have bumps along the road but they're not as bad as you make them out to be. With cricket that helped me.
"I literally didn't touch my bat for a month. That caused a great deal of reflection and when you reflect upon yourself it helps you in all aspects of your life and that has had a positive impact on my cricket. It has allowed me to enjoy the game, play the game and not worry a lot about the game."
He added: "Since I came back into the game, I've been expressive, mentally I've been in a much clearer space and realised that performances will come and go.
"It is about me staying clear-headed, trying to work and improve my game and that particular event and the year of disappointments and rejections that came along with the Pakistan side put me in a better place and turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
A refreshed Masood naturally found form immediately upon his return to action. In four Quaid-e-Azam Trophy outings for Balochistan, he crushed 502 runs comprising three centuries and a 70 across eight innings.
Five matches into his best-ever PSL campaign (only Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan hit more than his 478 runs) he'd won a recall to the Pakistan Test squad for the Australia series. Though unused, he is back in the international conversation after a stop-start 28-Test career spanning eight years that was last ended by three successive ducks in New Zealand in 2021.
"New Zealand was the only place where I struggled really badly," Masood, who has centuries in his two most recent Tests innings at home, states. "But I can also say the was the first time I went to New Zealand, and they were pretty unfamiliar conditions for me.
"Sometimes you like a challenge. We haven't played that much home cricket. My last two Test matches at home I've got back-to-back centuries and I've not played a Test since that, let alone a home one. I thrive in home conditions too, but I haven't played a lot.
"I try and tell myself that you're better off scoring in challenging conditions.
"Test cricket around the world is hard but away from home is harder so those are the places you love putting yourself and you love challenging yourself against the best bowlers in the world. When you go to places like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa those are places where if you score runs, they have more significance.
"I am just lucky, and I consider myself fortunate that I am here and be able to play cricket and not sit at home and not be able to play."
"As an opening batter, you have to learn to accept each and every kind of situation that arises. People have their own plans and as of now, there is also competition.
"I am always realistic and accept any situation that I am thrown in. The last couple of years having been dropped from the side I have learned to put myself in competition with myself only and really try to improve my game."
A busy 2022 coupled with Masood's new state of mind certainly opens the door to a Pakistan return. They go to Sri Lanka in July and August before hosting England in seven T20Is and three Tests on either side of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
"If I am required for the Pakistan team that will be great but if I am not then so be it," he accepts. "I am glad I have the opportunity to play county cricket and improve upon my game.
"For me it is about playing cricket wherever I play. Obviously, I'd love to play for my country and represent them in all formats and really do well for Pakistan but if the timing is not right so be it.
"I am just lucky, and I consider myself fortunate that I am here and be able to play cricket and not sit at home and not be able to play."
He adds: "When you play at a standard against high-quality people, no matter what the conditions are, and you score runs you take a lot of confidence with you when you play international cricket.
"Playing cricket here for as long as possible for six months, playing all three formats and then hopefully if I am involved in cricket for Pakistan whatever format that is I am sure it will put me in good stead for that."
If not required, Pakistan's loss will be Derbyshire's gain. Masood is signed up for all formats and with Arthur eyeing a cup run to back up their unbeaten start to the LV=Insurance County Championship he will be a real asset in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, taking place underneath The Hundred. It is one of the lesser-spotted achievements that Masood possesses the third-best List A average in history of 57.46 (behind Sam Hain and Michael Bevan).
Optimism ahead of the future is a far cry from the grimness of 2020, when Masood had spells in bio-secure bubbles in the PSL, England and New Zealand, navigating around Covid-19.
A new-look Derbyshire have started the season well (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
It was in New Zealand where it all came to a head when a damaging run of form saw him eventually lose a Pakistan place he is yet to reclaim.
Fourteen days without a whiff of a single practice session due to quarantine restrictions, which were tightened after minor breaches, was no way to warm up for facing a team that five months later would win the inaugural World Test Championship.
Three noughts and 10 runs from 83 balls across four innings in two one-sided Tests was an unsurprising outcome.
After later returning to familiar climes and instantly finding form in the One-Day Cup (Masood averaged 118 in five matches), he is adamant his performances were entirely mentally driven.
"Covid made you realise about the importance of mental health, being stuck in bubbles you’re restricted to the hotel and ground," he said.
"It was hard to switch yourself off from the game because a lot of times you were on-site where the cricket ground was and that is all you saw.
"You saw the cricket ground for the whole duration of the day, duration of the tour. I think it is important for a cricketer to switch on and off.
"When my sister passed away that was a huge awakening for me. I did put my mental health first.
"You're always in your head most of the time because you're confined to your hotel room and space, and you can't get out or get a different perspective so we can switch off now.
"There are the things that you want to be able to do and unfortunately we couldn't do them during Covid. It has an impact on your game.
"When you don't switch off and keep thinking about the game when you go out to play, you're basically out of energy. It is more mental than physical and with Covid mental health was heavily taxed."
Now Masood is cashing in on the ultimate rebate.
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