'I'm nobody to say he doesn't have a future' - Shan Masood addresses Babar Azam issue

Babar Azam was dropped from Pakistan’s Test squad after the first game against England in Multan in October. The former captain was struggling heavily with the bat in the longest format and the new selectors decided to bench him to bring in Kamran Ghulam, who hit a century on debut as Pakistan went on to win the match by 152 runs. 

In Babar’s absence, Pakistan’s batting unit has done a commendable job as they sealed the Test series 2-1, registering their first Test series win over England since 2015. Ghulam's performance has put Babar’s future in Test cricket in doubt.

Speaking on the same, red-ball captain Shan Masood stated that he is in no position to say anything about Babar’s future. He stated that the 30-year-old is one of the best batters in the world and added that the he needs a break from the format.

“I think he's one of the best batsmen in the world. I'm nobody to [say he doesn't have] a future. He has every quality to be one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket. He's always there or thereabouts in the rankings. Sometimes, people need a break,” Masood said while speaking on the BBC Stumped radio programme.

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“I think this break will do him a great deal of benefit and he'll come back a stronger player. There's no harm in being pulled out at times and having a breather. He's played a lot of cricket and gone through a lot, and he'll always be one of the main batsmen to play for Pakistan,” he added.

Meanwhile, Babar is still a part of Pakistan’s white-ball set-up and has been called up for the upcoming tour to Australia even though he has been rested for the series against Zimbabwe. Stating the reason behind it, the selectors confirmed that they want more players to be in the set-up leading to the Champions Trophy and Babar has been given a break keeping that in mind.