{
  "id": 1562151,
  "title": "'We'll have to follow medical advice': Pakistan captain Babar Azam doubtful for England opener",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/well-have-to-follow-medical-advice-pakistan-captain-babar-azam",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-17T21:03:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/well-medical-advice-pakistan-captain-210300077.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Pakistan captain Babar Azam remains doubtful for the first Test against England at Headingley due to a lingering finger injury. The match is set to begin on Wednesday, and Azam has only had a brief batting session during Pakistan’s first practice at the venue. He injured his right hand during the second Test against the West Indies and sustained another injury during a warm-up match against a Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham. Mohammad Abbas, Pakistan's pacer, stated that the team has not yet made a final decision on Azam's availability, emphasizing that they will follow medical advice on the matter. The team is concerned about Azam's absence, as he is a key player for Pakistan in the upcoming series. Pakistan also faces fitness concerns over opening batter Shan Masood, who fractured his finger during the first Test against the West Indies but returned to training at Headingley on Monday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Root's return as Test captain a sign of England's problems",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/roots-return-as-test-captain-a-sign-of-englands-problems",
        "published": "2026-08-17T02:18:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Dean to captain England against Ireland",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/dean-to-captain-england-against-ireland",
        "published": "2026-08-17T10:05:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}