Pakistan captain Babar Azam will not play in the Test against England at Headingley that starts on Wednesday. Salman Ali Agha is now the captain of the Pakistan team.
Babar Azam got hurt on his hand when England Under-19 bowler Manny Lumsden hit him during a practice game last week. Pakistan team was playing against a County Select XI. Babar Azam stopped batting. A team spokesman said this was just to be safe.
This is the hand that Babar Azam got hurt on during the second Test against the West Indies. That happened this month.
Babar Azam batted for a while in the Headingley nets on Monday. The doctors said his middle finger is not broken. They did not say he is okay to play in the first Test. Pakistan will play three Test matches against England. Babar Azam will not lead the Pakistan team in the Test.
“Babar Azam can’t play; Salman will be the captain for the Test, ” Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said to reporters at Headingley on Tuesday.
“It’s not broken; there is a bit of swelling on the finger.
“We hope he will be ready for the Test match.”
Azam’s absence is a problem for Pakistan as they start their effort to win a Test series in England for the first time in 30 years because he is also one of their best batsmen with nine Test hundreds and a career average of 43.68.
Saul Shakeel is expected to take the place of the 31-year-old Azam in the team after he missed the last two-match series in the West Indies, which finished as a 1-1 draw.
Pakistan won their two Tests against England without Azam on their home ground in 2024, but the pitch in Leeds is probably very different from the very spin-friendly pitches in Multan and Rawalpindi.
