Shan Masood and Babar Azam shared a record opening partnership as Pakistan fought back after conceding a 421-run first innings deficit on the third day of the second Test against at Newlands on Sunday.

Asked about Babar's future, Shan told the BBC's 'Stumped' podcast on Saturday: "I think he's one of the best batsmen in the world. I'm nobody to deny him a future. He has every quality to be one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket.

Masood's team thrashed England by nine wickets in the third and final Test inside three days in Rawalpindi for a 2-1 series win.

The 152-run victory was Pakistan's first home win since February 2021 and came after they were thumped by an innings in the first Test on the same Multan pitch.

England finished the second day of the first Test in Multan on a solid 96-1 on Tuesday in reply to Pakistan's mammoth 556 that was boosted by a fiery century from Agha Salman.

Masood's brilliant 151 was his first hundred for four years, while Shafique also returned to form with 102 as the pair put on a solid 253-run stand for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and batted.

Captain Shan Masood scored his first century in four years to lift Pakistan to 233-1 at tea on the opening day of the first Test against England on Monday.

Former captain Mohammad Yousuf quit as a Pakistan selector "for personal reasons" on Sunday, just a week before the team begin a home Test series against England.

Shan Masood will continue to lead Pakistan in the upcoming series against England, despite losing his first five Tests as captain.

"We all are disappointed, the whole of Pakistan is disappointed," said Masood, who has lost all four matches as Test captain since being appointed last year.

Showers and potential thunderstorms are expected for the first day of play but are forecast to clear by Wednesday afternoon and Cummins said he was confident of a result.

While Rizwan has excelled in the finisher's role at five, helping his team win both games, he said he did not want to stay there.

Pakistan batter Shan Masood on Saturday praised his team's character in battling back to stay in the hunt for a semi-finals spot after losing their first two matches at the Twenty20 World Cup. And the 33-year-old also mentioned that now their focus will be to win the Super 12 game against Bangladesh in Adelaide tomorrow.

There is a life beyond cricket and Shan Masood got a whole new perspective when he lost his beloved sister. As he geared up to make his T20I debut against England, the lanky left-hander spoke about how he feels blessed to be wearing the Pakistan green and doesn’t want to carry the baggage of pressure.