Pakistan Suffer Babar Azam Blow Ahead of First England Test

Pakistan captain Babar Azam will not play in the 1st Test against England, which begins on Wednesday at Headingley. The batter is still dealing with an injury to his right hand after getting hit during Pakistan’s warm-up match in Beckenham. Babar had also suffered a blow to the same hand during the second Test against West Indies earlier this month.

Pakistan Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed the news and said all-rounder Salman Ali Agha will lead the team in the opening Test at Headingley.

"Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first Test match. Salman Agha will be the captain for the first Test," said Pakistan Test head coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Sarfaraz further said that the medical team is still assessing Babar’s condition, so hopefully he will get better before the start of the second Test match.

"The medical team is assessing Babar. He has quite a bit of pain in the finger. There are still a few days to go before the second Test. Hopefully, he will recover by then." said Sarfaraz Ahmed while talking to the reporters.

Pakistan had started to lose hope of having Babar available for the first Test over the past few days. He was hit on the hand during the warm-up match in Beckenham and had to retire hurt. He did not return to the field for the rest of the game, while Agha took over as captain in his absence.

Babar’s absence is a major setback for Pakistan, especially since he had started to regain his form. He was the leading run-scorer in the West Indies series, scoring two half-centuries. He also ended the second Test on a high, hitting two big sixes to finish the chase.

Speaking about Babar’s absence, Sarfaraz said Pakistan will now think carefully about how to strengthen their batting. Masood is expected to move into the top order, while Saud Shakeel will bat in the middle order. The team could also consider bringing Aamer Jamal into the XI to give the batting more depth.

Pakistan tried a similar combination in the first Test against West Indies, but Jamal struggled to make an impact with either the bat or the ball.

Despite losing Babar to injury, Sarfaraz said Pakistan remains confident about their chances in the opening match.

"Our practice match gave us a lot of confidence. Whatever bases we needed to cover with bat and ball, we did. We believe we'll do very well here." said Sarfaraz Ahmed.