Pakistan Captain Shan Masood on the verge of being removed from captaincy following disappointing defeat against England, 3 candidates in the running as potential replacements: Report

England achieved a historic win over Pakistan in the first Test, triumphing by an innings and 47 runs on the final day. The victory showcased England's exceptional performance, with Pakistan starting Day 5 on 152-6 in their second innings only to be bowled out for 220. Despite efforts from Salman Ali Agha (63) and Aamer Jamal (55*), Pakistan couldn't prevent their eventual collapse. Notably, Pakistan made Test history by becoming the first team to lose by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in their first innings.

And it seems the crushing defeat is set to have a detrimental impact on Shan Masood's captaincy career, which only began in December last year. According to Pakistan's Samaa TV, Masood will be removed as the side's captain after the end of the Test series against England. The report further states that three players have been shortlisted to replace Masood: Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha.

Since Masood took over as Pakistan's skipper in the longest format, the side has faced defeat in all of its six Test matches. An unprecedented low for the side came last month, when Pakistan suffered a 0-2 clean-sweep defeat at home to Bangladesh – the first time they conceded a loss to the side.

The manner of the defeats do little to inspire confidence, either. Pakistan declared their first innings on 448/6 in the first Test against Bangladesh, only to concede 565. To add to their miseries, the batting order faced a stunning collapse, scoring only 146 as Bangladesh registered a 10-wicket win.

In the Test against England, Pakistan were trapped by their own doing, as a flat surface in Multan backfired. Despite a strong 556-run score in the first innings, Pakistan went on to concede 823/7, with Harry Brook smashing a triple century. In a repeat of the first Test against Bangladesh, Pakistan faced another batting collapse in the second innings, scoring only 220.

The latest development on Pakistan's musical chairs surrounding their captaincy comes days after Babar Azam stepped down as the white-ball skipper. Babar's record wasn't satisfactory, either; under his second tenure as captain, Pakistan faced a shocking group stage exit in the T20 World Cup, losing to hosts USA and arch-rivals India. Babar's own form has been a subject of major criticism; the batter is yet to breach fifty-run mark in Tests this year, and scored only one half-century during the T20 World Cup in June.