Pakistan unsure on Babar for opening England Test
Pakistan Test skipper Babar Azam returned to practice week ahead of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 series against England.
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam suffered a blow to his right hand while featuring in a warm-up fixture for Pakistan against Professional County Club Select XI. This was the same hand where he had earlier suffered an injury during the West Indies tour.
A rising delivery from England under-19 star Manny Lumsden struck his bottom hand when he was batting on five in the contest. Babar was seen in pain after the incident, and did not bat thereafter in the tour game.
"Following an assessment by the team doctor and taking precautionary measures, Babar has been advised to take rest from the remainder of the practice match," a media release from PCB had stated then. "Babar will participate in Pakistan team's practice session on Monday, August 17, at Headingley Cricket Ground."
On Monday, Babar batted in the nets and while he didn't show any signs of discomfort, his stint at the nets was brief.
Pacer Mohammad Abbas stated that decision on Babar's availability was yet to be taken.
"Whether he plays or not will be a decision taken on match day," Abbas said at a media conference. "He did a few throwdowns and some batting practice today. But we'll have to follow medical advice for it."
Babar Azam's exquisite cover drive | PAK v IND | Champions Trophy 2025
Babar shows his trademark cover drive against India at the ICC Champions Trophy event
Besides being a lynchpin of the Pakistan batting, Babar has also recently been re-appointed as the skipper of the Test side.
Under his leadership, Pakistan tied their most recent Test outing in West Indies 1-1, breaking a trend of eight consecutive overseas losses with an eight-wicket win in the second Test.
Pakistan begin their three-game series against England from 19 August. The series will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27, where England are at the seventh place with a point percentage of 24.36, whereas Pakistan are eighth with a point percentage of 22.22.
While Pakistan will hope Babar is fully fit to perform against England, they already have some positive news in the form of Shan Masood returning back from injury ahead of the series.
Pakistan Test squad: Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
Series schedule
First Test: August 19–23, Headingley
Second Test: August 27–31, Lord's
Third Test: September 9–13, Edgbaston