Pakistan captain Babar Azam will sit out the opening Test against England, which starts Wednesday at Headingley. A right-hand injury from Pakistan’s warm-up fixture in Beckenham has kept him out of contention, and it is the same hand that troubled him during the second Test against West Indies earlier this month.
Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed the decision on the eve of the match. He told reporters that Babar remains unavailable for the first Test and that Salman Agha will take over as captain for the fixture. Sarfaraz added that scans have ruled out a fracture in the middle finger, which offers some relief to the touring party.
Babar’s Injury Timeline and Recovery Outlook
Babar retired hurt during the warm-up game in Beckenham after being struck on the same hand that gave him trouble in the Caribbean. He did not return to the field for the rest of that match, and Agha led the side in his absence even then. Pakistan’s coaching staff had grown increasingly doubtful over the past few days about Babar’s chances of being fit in time for Headingley.
Sarfaraz said the medical team continues to monitor Babar closely, noting that he still feels considerable pain in the finger. He pointed out that a few days remain before the second Test begins, and the team hopes Babar can recover in that window. His absence is being treated as a short-term issue rather than a long-term concern, at least for now.
The timing is unfortunate for Babar, who looked to be rediscovering his form. He finished as the leading run-scorer in the West Indies series, striking two half-centuries and capping the second Test with a pair of sixes. He had taken over the Pakistan captaincy only shortly before that tour began, making this injury setback all the more untimely.
Salman Agha Steps Into the Captaincy Role
Agha has never led Pakistan in a Test match before, though he has steadily built a place within the team’s leadership group. He remains one of the few Pakistan cricketers who start regularly across all three formats, and he already captains the side in T20Is. His recent form with the bat, however, has been underwhelming. He managed just 20 runs across three innings during the tour of the West Indies.
Despite that dip in form, Sarfaraz expressed confidence in Agha’s ability to guide the team through the opening Test. He said the warm-up match gave Pakistan a strong sense of where they stand with both bat and ball, and the squad feels prepared for what lies ahead at Headingley.
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Batting Reshuffle and Squad Fitness Update
Babar’s unavailability forces Pakistan to rethink their batting order. Shan Masood is set to fill a top-order slot, while Saud Shakeel takes a middle-order position. The team may also consider adding Aamer Jamal to strengthen the lower order, a move Pakistan tried during the first Test against West Indies, though Jamal made little impact with either bat or ball on that occasion.
Masood, meanwhile, has fully recovered from his own finger fracture. He was struck by Jayden Seales during the first Test against West Indies last month, which forced him to miss the second Test and sit out the warm-up game in Beckenham entirely.
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