Lahore, Aug 11 (IANS): Ahead of kickstarting their 2024/25 home season with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting on August 21 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood stated the hosts’ are aiming to use their home advantage to the best possible extent.

With two wins from five Tests in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle, Pakistan have a point percentage of 36.66%, and are behind India, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the points table.

But Pakistan do have a chance of climbing to the top two rankings, as after hosting Bangladesh, they will host England for three Tests, and West Indies for two Tests. They are also slated to tour South Africa for two Tests.

If Pakistan wins all of its remaining contests, they’ll end up with a point percentage of 77.38% and be almost certain to play their maiden WTC final. “There’s a lot to play for in the World Test Championship. The top two places are yet to be decided, and it can still go with any side.”

“Our effort would be to make the best use of the home advantage in our seven Tests. And obviously, even in South Africa, we can gain points and win a series, which is a great opportunity for us,” Masood was quoted as saying by ICC.

Just like the white-ball format, Pakistan have also made changes to their Test team coaching staff. Former Australia fast-bowler Jason Gillespie is the new head coach, while Tim Nielsen has been roped in as the red-ball high-performance coach.

“The recent appointments of Jason Gillespie and Tim Nielson are an exciting opportunity for Pakistan cricket. Two experienced coaches have come in both white-ball and red-ball cricket for us, they were big players in their respective fields. It’s an exciting opportunity for us, as players, to get exposure to Gillespie, Nielsen, and Gary Kirsten (white-ball head coach),” added Masood.