Pakistan captain Babar Azam and chief selector Muhammad Wasim are at loggerheads over the inclusion of opener Shan Masood in the squad for the country's upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies which kicks off in Multan on June 8.

While Muhammad Wasim wants to see Shan bat in the middle-order after being impressed with his efforts in the English county championship and the Vitality T20 blast games.

Shan Masood has been in a rich vein of form in England, making his runs at a brisk pace in addition to posting huge scores.

Muhammad Wasim who has been backing the left-hander for some time now had requested Babar Azam to accommodate him in the middle-order as the Pakistani top-order was jampacked with three openers, namely Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, and Imam-ul-Haq already there in the line-up.

During a recent interview with a YouTube channel, Muhammad Wasim had said that he held talks with Shan Masood where he was informed that he would have to change his batting position to make a comeback to the Pakistan team because there were no opening spots available.

Competition for the two opening slots has intensified as Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq have done exceptionally well there and that's why Muhammad Wasim convinced Shan Masood to take up a middle-order role.

“I have told Shan that he should now try to bat in the middle-order so that we have evidence he can make the change for us,” Wasim said on YouTube.

However, when the media asked Babar about the possibility of Shan Masood batting in the middle-order, he declared that it wouldn't be happening.

The 27-year-old Pakistan skipper argued that Shan Masood has never batted in the middle-order in his life and it would be highly unfair on him if he was asked to make the switch at this stage of his career.

Babar Azam even pointed out that there were other contenders for the spots in the middle-order and hence accommodating Shan Masood there would pose serious problems for him.

“Shan Masood bats at the top of the order and he has not batted lower down the order. I think it would be unfair with Shan to play him at Nos 5 or 6. We have an eye on him and he will be considered taking the balance of the side into account,” Babar said in a recent press conference held in Lahore.

Shan Masood was a member of Pakistan's Test team which played against Australia at home recently but warmed the bench as he was not given a chance in the playing XI.

But he has been a prolific scorer in the shorter formats of the game and has dazzled the crowd in domestic competitions including the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Now he's replicating his home success in the United Kingdom.

Coming back to Babar Azam, there have been reports in several Pakistani media outlets that both the chief selector and coach Saqlain Mushtaq have completely surrendered to the captain of the national team.

Reportedly a disturbing unease prevails in the team's dressing room as Babar Azam's growing clout in Pakistan cricket has created a massive divide between the members of the squad on the one hand and the coaching staff and the selection committee on the other.

Recently news broke out that Pakistan's senior players, including Babar Azam, had refused to listen to the advice of their coaches and selectors who had suggested they take a break from international duty for a short while.

The Pakistani selectors were interested in picking a second-string side for the series against the West Indies as they wished to find out their strengths and weaknesses against an international team.

But Babar Azam and company refused to oblige and the Pakistani selectors were left with no choice but to include all the senior players in the squad for the home series against the West Indies.

Though Muhammad Wasim denied that such a thing ever happened, it is an open secret in Pakistan's cricketing circles that it is the captain Babar Azam who calls the shots in the cricket-crazy South Asian nation.

Many pundits believe that Babar Azam's rise on the global stage has given him a powerful voice in Pakistan. He's currently the numero uno batter in the ICC's rankings for both ODIs and T20Is.

In Test cricket, he features in the top-five with Australians Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and England's Joe Root ahead of him.

Babar has set his eyes on becoming the first batter to be ranked No.1 in all the three formats of the sport.

“As a player, it's a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and, for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It's not like if you are the top player in one or two formats, you go easy,” Babar told the ICC in a recent interview.

“If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit. It's something I am preparing for. It's going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too,” he concluded.