Masood believes Babar Azam will make a strong comeback after being dropped for the last two home Tests against England.
Masood said Babar Azam’s “break” from the Test squad will end up benefitting rather than harming him.
After a protracted period of poor form, Babar was left out of Pakistan’s squad for the final two Test matches against England, which Pakistan won to win the series 2-1.
“I think he’s one of the best batsmen in the world. I’m nobody to [say he doesn’t have] a future,” Masood told the BBC Stumped radio programme. “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.”
Babar was called up for Pakistan’s double white-ball series against Australia, demonstrating quickly that he has not entered an international wasteland. It begins with a three-match ODI series, Pakistan’s first since Babar grudgingly resigned as captain following their dismal World Cup campaign. Pakistan hasn’t played a 50-over international for so long that Babar was reappointed as white-ball captain then resigned again without having captained the team in the format.
However, Masood stated that he expected Babar to “come back a stronger player”—the most obvious indication yet that his absence from Pakistan’s Test team would only be brief. In 18 innings dating back to late 2022, Babar has failed to reach a half-century in Test cricket. Pakistan’s upcoming Test series will take place in South Africa, an opponent he has some pleasant Test memories with.
When Babar took over as Test captain, he guided his team to a 2-0 series victory against South Africa, who were Pakistan’s first opponent. Many people considered Babar’s attack on Dale Steyn during a furious counterattacking innings at SuperSport Park in 2018 to be his Test maturation.
“I think this break will do him a great deal of benefit and he’ll come back a stronger player,” Masood said. “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.”
Masood stated that he got along well with the new selections. He insisted that he preferred to concentrate on the team rather than on allocating individual credit.
“People in Pakistan are quick to give success to individuals,” he said. “To make one person a hero. I think it’s always going to be a collective thing. I’d rather pass credit onto everyone else; it was a collective decision. When we sat down together in our first meeting, we were on the same page. We said ‘we need to take 20 wickets, how do we take 20 wickets?’
“We thought playing on a used pitch, playing three spinners – that, we thought, would benefit us greatly. I’ve worked with three different setups in my tenure so far. My first series in Australia was different. The Bangladesh series was different, and then we’ve had this group of people that were involved in selection and leadership. I’ve been on the same page with them so far. At the end of the day, it’s about Pakistan cricket, and we’re very fortunate that the entire collective came together.”