Lahore: Pakistan Test opener Shan Masood on Wednesday called for patience and need to give players a long rope in order to produce box-office cricketers like Rohit Sharma, Jason Roy and David Warner.
Masood was part of Pakistan's home series wins against Sri Lanka 1-0 and the one-off Test against Bangladesh after they lost in Australia 0-2 in the five-day format.
Asked how Pakistan can also produce box-office openers like India's Rohit, England's Roy and Australia's Warner, he said: "There is fear of failure which is human nature. They got security over a long time. The England team started with a plan in 2015 and got result in 2019 (by winning the World Cup). They stuck to a core of players.
"Consistency is very important. We need to accept defeat if we have to set a goal like that. As a nation we focus on short-term goals. Instant results cannot be the way to groom players," said the 30-year old in a video conferencing chat with reporters which was facilitated by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
"Also these cricketers you named got advantage of home cricket. We never got that. This is for the first time we got. We don't get to play that often also. For box office players you need consistency. We need to build players for a four-year period."
Masood also said he is not worried about being labelled as Test player, saying he has the right kind of people around him to guide.
He also said this team under coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq is going in the right direction and results will soon start showing.
"Misbah bhai is trying to bring in new culture. Fitness is being given a lot of importance. During this lockdown also players are being worked on. A lot of things is being done. Also culture is there...camaraderie is there among players and I hope as soon as cricket resumes we can carve out a legacy for ourselves. We hope to make a mark."
Veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir had asked Masood-led Multan Sultans to take a leaf out of Chennai Super Kings' book and focus on their basics despite talk of the team being full of players who are not quite young, he also revealed.
Masood led Multan Sultans to the top of the Pakistan Super League table before the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The team had the likes of former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, South Africa spinner Tahir, England all-rounder Moeen Ali among others. Tahir also played for CSK in the Indian Premier League.
"Imran Tahir had said he played in IPL for CSK and CSK average age is highest in IPL. He said we used to do our basics correctly. We played as a team. It is important to have balance of experience and youngsters."
On closed-door cricket, Masood said he is ready as it will give fans and them something to look forward to.
"We really don't want to be at home but these are tough times. Behind closed doors is fine as there will be matches on TV and we will also get to play. If situation demands that spectators cannot come, behind closed doors is fine. It won't be the same without spectators but we will be happy to play cricket in some way and I am ready."
