The discussion emerged after Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto claimed earlier that Bangladesh’s current pace unit may hold a slight edge over Pakistan’s.
Responding to the comments at a pre-match press conference, Masood chose a diplomatic approach.
“Their strengths are theirs, and our strengths are ours. We can only focus on ourselves,” Masood said.
“I believe we have a balanced 16-member squad that is well accustomed to these conditions. We don’t want to get into comparisons. They have quality, and we also have quality,” he added.
Despite avoiding direct comparisons, the Pakistan skipper praised Bangladesh’s rapid rise in fast bowling and admitted he has been impressed by their development in recent years.
Referring to Bangladesh’s historic Test series win in Rawalpindi in 2024, Masood described the current pace unit as one of the finest the country has produced.
“Bangladesh’s pace attack is impressive. Their left-arm and right-arm pacers have excellent skills. This is probably one of the best pace attacks in Bangladesh’s history that I have seen,” he said.
“We enjoy this challenge and want to score runs against a quality bowling attack,” he added.
While there remains some uncertainty around the Mirpur pitch, Masood believes the conditions will not be drastically different from what Pakistan players are used to.
“We want to play the best cricket over the next 10 days and win the series. Whatever the conditions are, our players are mentally prepared,” he said.
