Test captain of Pakistan, Shan Masood, believes "break" from the Test team will do Babar Azam more good than bad. Babar was left out of the last two Tests against England by Pakistan, which went on to defeat England 2-1 and won the series. He was dropped after failing to score runs on a consistent basis. To the BBC Stumped radio programme, Masood told: "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." PCB said Babar was not dropped for good and was instead picked for Pakistan's upcoming white-ball series against Australia that begins with a three-match ODI series. Pakistan hasn't played any 50-over matches since its World Cup disappointment under which Babar relinquished his captaincy position. Even after he was brought back as the white-ball skipper, he eventually quit again without the side taking part in a single match of 50 overs under him. Masood hinted that Babar's absence from the Test team is temporary, with hopes that "he'll come back as a stronger player." He hasn't scored a half-century in his last 18 Test innings, the dry run having started back in late 2022. For the next Test series, Pakistan will be visiting South Africa, a place where Babar has given some match-winning performances. Notably, Babar had led Pakistan to a 2-0 series win against South Africa when he first became Test captain. Back in 2018, his attractive innings against Dale Steyn at SuperSport Park was considered a turning point in his Test career. Also Watch | Virat Kohli’s Suicidal Run Out Gives NZ Edge in Mumbai Masood said: "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." Masood did not open up much about his personal experience. The PCB summoned a new selection committee following the first Test defeat at the hands of England. In the process, it eliminated Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie from selection. Gillespie, self-termed as "a matchday strategist", believes that change was not in his mind. Earlier this week, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten quit the job. He said: "People in Pakistan are quick to give success to individuals. 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." Masood said he has an excellent rapport with the newly appointed selectors and will be allowing them to focus solely on team development rather than trying to figure out who deserves the credit. Masood laughed saying: "There are no hard feelings from my side. I've always been an open book in front of the media and tried to conduct myself in the best possible way. People have every right to ask questions however they want. I want to give the best account of myself and for my character to be reflected the way I am. I'm good at taking constructive criticism and I'm also good at filtering stuff out."