Shan Masood, Pakistan's newly appointed Test captain, shed light on the batting strategy for the upcoming Australia tour, particularly focusing on which number former captain Babar Azam will bat.

Pakistan's newly appointed Test captain Shan Masood revealed the team's batting order strategy for the upcoming tour to Australia during a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday.

Masood emphasized the stability of the Test team and particularly highlighted the enduring partnership between Imam ul Haq and Abdullah Shafique.

Masood said that Azhar Ali left a void when he retired from Test cricket. Someone had to fill that hole with the No. 3 hit. Masood decided to give up his opening position and started playing domestic cricket as the No.3 batsman, which now led to him cementing his place in the team as a one-down batsman.

Masood expressed his confidence in the top three positions, explained the batting order and assured that the team would be built around the exceptional talent of Babar Azam, who firmly occupies the fourth spot. Masood hailed Azam as the team's best batsman and stressed the importance of maintaining his batting position.

“Babar Azam is our best batsman. Nobody would disturb his batting position which is number four. You build your team around the best batsman on the team,” he added.

Additionally, Masood praised Saim Ayub as an exciting talent and appreciated his aggressive style in domestic cricket.

“Saim Ayub’s attacking approach in domestic cricket makes him an exciting candidate and he remains under consideration for selection,” Masood concluded.

Pakistan Squad For The Tour Of Australia

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi