Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against England, owing to an injury to his right hand which he suffered during the warm-up clash against Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham. He was forced to retire hurt and was later ruled out of the match. Since then, Babar has been kept under close observation. On the eve of the Leeds Test, the team management confirmed that the injury will keep the star batter out of the game.
In his absence, Salman Agha will lead the side. Head coach Sarfaraz Khan confirmed the development in the pre-match press conference.
“Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first Test match. Salman Agha will be the captain for the first Test,” Sarfaraz said.
Notably, the 31-year-old took part in a short batting session at Headingley on Monday, but his limited time in the nets was not enough to clear him for the Test. The team management, however, waited for another day to assess his medical condition, but ultimately it was decided not to risk him at the moment, especially with two more games remaining in the series.
Who replaces Babar in the playing XI?
Saud Shakeel and Awais Zafar remain the obvious options for Pakistan’s middle order. Shakeel missed the West Indies series, while Zafar made his Test debut in the second game of the series. He also strengthened his case during the warm-up game in Beckenham, scoring a century. His form could put him in contention as Pakistan work out their combination without Babar.
The situation also leaves Pakistan with another selection call surrounding Shan Masood. Masood suffered a fractured finger after being hit during the first Test against the West Indies and missed the second match as well as the warm-up in Beckenham.
He did, however, spend a longer period batting in the nets at Headingley. Mohammad Abbas was encouraged by what he saw from the Pakistan batter.
“With Shan, too, we're just going to rely on the medical advice. Shan practiced for the whole session and looked very good,” Abbas said.
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