Shan Masood grateful for warm welcome at Yorkshire CCC as he spells out his mantra

The pinned tweet from October 3 2021 takes the form of a touching tribute to his late sister.

“Meeshu you were the most precious thing in my life and I did not even get to say goodbye.

"I will miss you so much but I know God has taken you to a better place.

"Please pray for my sister’s departed soul.”

Taken in her mid-30s, Meeshu suffered from a rare chromosome disorder that seriously affected her development.

It gave Masood a perspective on life that means cricket is not the be-all and end-all.

“My sister’s passing away made me look at things differently,” he recalled prior to joining Yorkshire as captain.

“I just feel now it is great to be getting a chance to play for your country, or your favourite sport and earning from it, but there is more to life than success and failure in cricket.”

It is a nugget which partly explains why Masood, first and foremost, seems a very nice man – grounded, down-to-earth, humble and respectful – as well as a very fine cricketer.

The Pakistani has an aura about him, one of calmness, composure, grace even.

“Yorkshire fans will love Shan,” was the word on the grapevine prior to Masood’s decision to sign for the club.

He was a big hit at Derbyshire, where he did remarkably well last season, scoring over 1,800 runs in all cricket at an average above 60, and he has wasted no time in impressing everyone at Headingley; like all the best overseas players, he wants to immerse himself in the club, on and off the pitch, to feel that connection, that indelible bond.

As Yorkshire look to move on from the grubby events that require no elaboration, Masood will be a terrific ambassador as well as, every Yorkshire fan hopes, a terrific batsman and captain.

His overall record – getting on for 18,000 runs in all formats and 56 international appearances – speaks for itself.

Yorkshire have signed an outstanding player.

A few days ago, prior to Yorkshire’s opening T20 Blast match against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston, Masood put out another tweet.

“Really enjoyed my welcome here at @YorkshireCCC,” he wrote.

“Feels great to be part of such a prestigious club.

"Looking forward to a strong season together starting with the @vitalityblast tomorrow.”

Although hopes of a winning start in the Second City were dashed as Yorkshire went down by 34 runs, Masood’s gratitude was clear and his feeling for the club genuine.

The nod to the prestigious past of Yorkshire cricket – lost but never forgotten amid the disreputable events which, to all intents and purposes, destroyed the club in its previous guise – was also impressive and suggested a man who appreciates the rich history of which he is now a part and which thankfully shines through the decades still.

Masood, 33, naturally wants to be a unifying force as Yorkshire look to leave behind the rubbish of the past couple of years and, at first glance, he will not need to work too hard at that objective.

He seems exactly what Yorkshire require at this moment in time and is thankful for the sort of welcome that overseas players have traditionally received, including some fine Pakistan players down the years such as Younus Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and, last summer, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan.

“Everyone has been great,” says Masood with a smile, one that never seems far from his face.

“The coaching staff is great. Everyone at the club has been great, and the players are just a wonderful bunch to work with.

“I see a lot of talent, a lot of promise, and a lot to be positive about – even if you take the England guys out of the equation.

“I’m really looking forward to playing my part.”

Since the tragic death of his beloved sister – whose memory he so poignantly honours on social media – Masood has barely had time to pause for breath on the cricket field.

His schedule has been tough, unrelenting; the backdrop to his Yorkshire stint was also affected by injury.

Masood dislocated a finger just prior to the home series against New Zealand last month, but played through the pain barrier and scored 44 in the second game in Karachi.

“I’m coming off the back of a very long cricket schedule,” he says, albeit one he is grateful for all the same. “I’ve been on the go since October 2021.

“I took a break when my sister passed away – I took a month off – but since then it’s been pretty much cricket non-stop.

“Coming from the home series (against New Zealand), the PSL (Pakistan Super League), then Afghanistan (in Sharjah), then the home series again (also against New Zealand), it’s been a busy time.

“I also managed to dislocate and fracture my finger before the start of the ODIs (against New Zealand), so there were just a lot of things going on pre joining Yorkshire.”

Is the finger better now?

“Yes, it’s better. It takes up to four weeks for the swelling to go down. It happened on the 26th (of April).

“Not many people were aware of it except the backroom staff of the Pakistani team.

“It was just a freak accident. I tried diving and fielding a ball and the finger went the other way.

“It’s the first time I’ve done it. I decided to carry on playing; I played for Pakistan with some injections.

“Luckily, it has settled down here and I don’t need any injections.”

Perhaps the welcome Masood has received has dulled any lingering discomfort.

From players to coaches to club staff, he speaks warmly of all.

“Ever since I came here it’s been really nice,” he continues.

“I feel really welcome, really welcome at the club.

“I don’t feel I’m somebody new in the dressing room, or anything like that, and it helps when you know a lot of the guys from before (from playing cricket).

“There are just little things like going into the ground, training there, having all sorts of good facilities and straight away getting into playing games – that has been good for me.

“I still feel like I’ve spent more days away from Leeds than at Leeds so far, so I would like a few more days in Leeds to make it home.”

Yorkshire captains down the years have been rather authoritarian in nature.

One thinks of no-nonsense types such as Brian Sellers, Brian Close, Raymond Illingworth, to name but three – not the sort of fellows to call a spade a shovel.

Although nobody can rise to the peak of their sport without having that underlying steel and personal fortitude, Masood seems cut from a different cloth in terms of a character seeping with serenity.

He captains by suasion as opposed to sermon; he is more arm-around-the-shoulder than kick-up-the-backside, although is not afraid to lay down the law if the situation demands.

Masood wants his players to take responsibility, to be their own captain in a sense, and prefers to guide and advise from that starting point as opposed to ordering people around.

With everything such a whirlwind in recent weeks, and with Masood requiring time to settle in himself, he is clearly still learning about the players as much as they are still learning about him.

He comes across as a man likely to deliver straightforward messages, easily understood, and as someone naturally supportive and encouraging of others.

There is nothing didactic about Masood’s temperament; everything about him screams teamwork, togetherness, a tight-knit approach.

So, what can Yorkshire fans expect to see from a Shan Masood side as supporters get used to the new man in charge?

“My mantra is very simple,” he says.

“My mantra is that we want to be a side that everybody enjoys watching.

“And we want to be the side and the dressing room that everybody wants to be a part of.

“Those are the only two things I want; results can look to take care of themselves.

“It’s a big season, a long season ahead.

“It’s just about getting that momentum, first and foremost, and like I saw with county cricket last year, once you’ve got that winning momentum, things can change.

“There are a lot of things that the boys have done really well, and we just have to be positive.

“There’s a lot to look forward to.”