Babar to miss first England Test, Pakistan name new captain
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed a major shuffle for the series opener in England.
Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against England after sustaining an injury during a warm-up match in Beckenham. He had captained the side during their recent tour of the West Indies.
In his stead, Salman Agha has been named as the captain for the ICC World Test Championship series opener in Leeds.
Pakistan are currently on tour of England for a three-Test series. The visitors are currently eighth in the WTC standings, and arrive on the back of a 1-1 series draw against the West Indies.
After six outings in the ongoing cycle, Pakistan have won two Tests and lost four, and have a 22.22 PCT.
England, on the other hand, are seventh in the standings and have won only four of the 13 Tests they have played in this cycle.
The hosts were last in action during the home series against New Zealand, which the visitors sealed 2-1.
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