Pakistan captain Masood finds silver lining in defeat by South Africa in cricket match

CE TOWN, - Despite losing the test series in South Africa 2-0, Pakistan captain Shan Masood remains optimistic about the team's future. He believes that the team showed resilience and determination in challenging conditions, indicating that there are brighter days ahead.

South Africa won the first test in Pretoria by two wickets despite being reduced to 99-8 chasing 148 on a difficult surface, before a more comprehensive 10 wicket win in Cape Town on Monday.

But even in their latest defeat, Pakistan showed fight as they scored 478 following on in their second innings, led by Masood's 145.

"There were lots of good things ," Masood said. "Knowing we did really well in but didn't close it out. Even here, we didn't start off well with ball and bat.

"We conceded too many runs initially, then we folded with the bat on a really nice surface. But then the fightback, we made our highest score against South Africa in test cricket. Individually, people stepped up."

Masood will rue the fact his side allowed South Africa to score a massive 615 in their first innings, which meant the tourists were always chasing the game.

Not that it is anything new, Pakistan have played well in patches recently but also underperformed under pressure. Masood hopes they can be more consistent in their upcoming two-test home series against West Indies that starts on Jan. 17.

"We need to learn how to win the crucial moments," Masood said. "We bounced back well against England . With our backs against the wall, we did well.

"But we need to learn how to land the first punch. We have a lot of young cricketers who will learn, and luckily we go straight into another series with West Indies. A lot of individuals in this team have stepped up when required."

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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