Babar Azam’s availability remains doubtful for Pakistan’s first Test against England, slated to begin on August 19 in Leeds. The star batter is still recovering from a finger injury and the team management is expected to take a late call on his availability for the series opener.
Notably, Babar injured his right hand while batting in the second Test against the West Indies. His recovery suffered another blow during Pakistan’s warm-up game against the Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham, where he was hit on the same hand and retired hurt.
The PCB described his withdrawal from the game as a precautionary measure, but Babar did not return to the field for the rest of the match.
Pakistan reached Leeds on Sunday and had their first training session at Headingley on Monday. Babar did spend some time batting in the nets, but his session was short. He did not show any obvious discomfort while batting, but Mohammad Abbas said the medical panel and selection committee are yet to make a final decision. The fast bowler confirmed that Babar’s availability could be settled only on the day of the Test.
“Whether he plays or not will be a decision taken on match day. He did a few throwdowns and some batting practice today. But we'll have to follow medical advice for it,” Abbas said at a media conference.
Who could replace Babar in playing XI?
If Babar ends up missing out on the opening Test, Pakistan are likely to have Saud Shakeel and Awais Zafar in the middle order. Shakeel was absent from the West Indies series, while Zafar made his Test debut in the second match. He has already strengthened his case with a century in the warm-up game. Now, regardless of Babar’s status, Zafar was expected to be slotted in, but in case the captain is ruled out, the transition could be smooth.
Pakistan are also monitoring the fitness of Shan Masood. He did not play in Beckenham either, but he spent considerably more time batting during Monday’s net session. Abbas was encouraged by what he saw.
"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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