SHAN Masood is honoured to be a South Asian man representing Yorkshire as their captain.
But while he hopes he can inspire people and cricketers from communities in the county with a strong South Asian presence, like Bradford, he insists the element of the sport that gives him the most joy is how it can bring everyone together.
Speaking at Yorkshire’s media day at Headingley yesterday, he told the T&A: “The beauty of sports, and why I play the game, is because it brings everyone from all parts of the world together.
“There are no titles in sport for me, everyone is the same.
“That’s the beauty of franchise cricket too, because everyone is part of a team, a group, willing to work towards a concentrated goal.
“It’s the same for any community, like with the South Asian community.
“We all have this team that brings us together and for anyone doing well from any part of the world, must be an inspiration for different people around the world.
“For me, it’s about making the game as inclusive as possible, and I think cricket is beautiful because of that.
“I hope it brings people from all parts and facets of the world together to play this beautiful game, whether it’s the South Asian community from Yorkshire, people from Pakistan, or anywhere in the world.”
Few county teams are scrutinised more than Yorkshire, while few international teams feel as much pressure as Pakistan do from their fans.
Masood is the red-ball captain for both sides, but he told the T&A he believes he can handle that enormous double role.
He laughed: “Not many PSL (Pakistan Super League) teams get scrutinised like the Karachi Kings either.
“It’s an honour to lead all three sides and the roles complement each other.
“Being here at Yorkshire last year helped me be the person I was during the winter with Pakistan and the Karachi Kings.
“And hopefully the experience of last year at Yorkshire, then what I learned in the winter, can help me become a better person and player here in 2024.
“I’m just looking forward to what the last 12 months brings to my game this season now.”
Masood has not long returned from his winter commitments in Asia, but he is in line to lead the side tomorrow when they take on Leicestershire at Headingley for their opening Vitality County Championship Division Two game of 2024.
He will be joined by England international Harry Brook, who will feature in all of Yorkshire’s first five Championship games.
Superstar batsman Joe Root will soon take his place in Yorkshire’s red-ball line up alongside both Masood and Brook, but he is not available until next week’s four-day encounter, which see the White Rose playing away to Gloucestershire.
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