How 'Maroon 5' helped Shan Masood while facing the Australian fast bowlers

Facing Australian pace attack Down Under is a nightmare for any batsman. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have formed a fascinating trio that makes the ball do the talking in the Aussie conditions. The Pakistani team travelled to Australia last summer and Shan Masood has an interesting story to tell about it.

It was Masood’s first tour to Australia and the Pakistani opener shared his experience while talking to BBC ahead of the third Test between England and Pakistan. The batsmen usually go tittering while facing the Aussie bowlers but the southpaw found his way out quite creatively.

“Whenever I’m batting, there’s always a song in my head. One I remember vividly was when I was at the Gabba – facing Australia’s Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood. That was always going to be a feisty battle so I kept a slow song, I kept singing Memories by Maroon 5 just to calm myself down,” said Masood.

Well, the left-hander actually managed to face the pace bowling trio quite well. He looked solid when he scored 27 and 42 in his first two outings of the first Test. Starc was the one who dismissed him in both the innings. Though, the best innings on the tour came for him when the touring party travelled to Adelaide. He scored 68 in the second innings of the Test which Pakistan lost by an innings.

“Playing him, those are the things you play for”: Shan Masood lauds James Anderson

Pakistan lost the series 0-2, but Masood earned his spot for the home series against Sri Lanka. He then scored two consecutive tons for his team in their own backyard. Then came to the England tour and the opener scored a century on his debut English tour as well. Masood has successfully cemented his place in the Test line-up.

The 30-year-old batsman also praised the legendary English fast bowler in his interview. He said that Anderson makes the ball swing which makes him quite a difficult bowler to face in English conditions. Interestingly, 38-year-old Jimmy Anderson is just 7 wickets away from completing 600 Test wickets. He will be the first pacer to do so in Test cricket.

“Jimmy makes the ball talk, he is a phenomenal bowler. Playing him, those are the things you play for,” he said.