Babar Azam out of first Test against England with hand injury
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against England at Headingley starting Wednesday, with Salman Ali Agha taking over as skipper. Azam has been unable to overcome an injury to his right hand after being struck by England Under-19 paceman Manny Lumsden during Pakistan’s warm-up game last week against a County Select XI. He promptly retired hurt in what a team…
Pakistan's cricket captain Babar Azam will miss the opening Test against England at Headingley, with Salman Ali Agha stepping up as the new skipper. The 31-year-old has been sidelined due to a hand injury sustained during a warm-up game against a County Select XI last week. Azam was struck by England Under-19 paceman Manny Lumsden, leading him to retire hurt as a precaution.
He has already experienced a similar injury during the second Test against the West Indies earlier this month. Despite being cleared of a broken middle finger, Azam has not been deemed fit to lead the team in the first Test of a three-match series. Coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed that Babar Azam is unavailable, with Salman Agha set to captain Pakistan in the crucial first Test match.
The absence of the experienced batsman is a significant setback for Pakistan, who aim to secure a Test series victory in England for the first time in 30 years. Azam has nine Test centuries to his name and boasts an impressive average of 43.68. Saul Shakeel, who missed the recent two-match series in the West Indies, will now take Azam's place in the squad.
Although Pakistan managed to win their two previous Tests against England on home soil in 2024, the conditions in Leeds are expected to be vastly different, with a much harder surface compared to the spin-friendly pitches in Multan and Rawalpindi.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
