Red-ball captain Shan Masood said Babar Azam could benefit from a break after being dropped from the Pakistan Test squad to get back to his top form.

Babar stepped down from his position as captain in all three formats last year after Pakistan failed to make it to the knockout stages of the 50-over World Cup.

The right-handed batsman resumed his role as One Day International (ODI) captain in March for the T20 World Cup, where the team did not perform well enough to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Furthermore, the struggling all-rounder was subsequently dropped for the second and third Tests against England in October after scoring just 35 runs, leading to Pakistan’s defeat in the first Test.

Similarly, Babar’s absence from the Pakistan squad is expected to be short-lived as the 30-year-old has been included in the ODI and T20 squads for the tour of Australia this month.

Shan Masood said BBC’s Stumped Podcast on Saturday, “I think he is one of the best batsmen in the world. I am no one to deny him a future. He has all the qualities to be one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket.”

“He’s always there or thereabouts in the rankings. Sometimes people need a break. I personally think this break will benefit him a lot and come back a stronger player,” he added.

Notably, Pakistan are set to play a two-match series against South Africa in December.