Pakistan Captain Babar Azam Doubtful For 1st Test Against England

The first Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and England will be played at Headingley in Leeds from August 19 to 23.

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Babar Azam doubtful for 1st Test against England in Leeds. (Picture Credit: AP)

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is a doubtful starter for the first Test against England, which is set to be played at Headingley in Leeds from August 19 to 23. Babar, who helped Pakistan end their eight-match losing streak in Tests away from home earlier this month, suffered a finger injury during Pakistan’s three-day warm-up match against the Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham last week.

According to a report in Cricinfo on Monday (August 17), Pakistan will make a late call on Babar’s availability for the series opener.

He batted for a brief period in the nets on Monday ahead of the first Test of the three-match series.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas spoke to reporters on Monday and stated that the medical panel and selection committee have not yet made a decision on Babar’s participation.

“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,” he added.

If Babar misses out, Saud Shakeel and Awais Zafar are both likely to feature in Pakistan’s playing XI.

During the media conference on Monday, Abbas also provided an update on former Test captain Shan Masood. According to him, Shan, who missed the second Test against the West Indies earlier this month due to an injury, is looking very good and participated in the full practice session on Monday.

“With Shan, too, we’re just going to rely on the medical advice,” Abbas said. “Shan practiced for the whole session and looked very good.”

If Shan returns to the playing XI, it will be interesting to see who bats at No. 4 for Pakistan in the first Test against England.

Shan was Pakistan’s No. 3 batter in the first Test against the West Indies and he scored a century in the first innings at the Brian Lara Stadium. He did not feature in the second Test due to injury and was replaced by Abdullah Shafique at No. 3.

Shafique made the most of the rare opportunity and scored an unbeaten century in the first innings to help Pakistan secure a memorable eight-wicket win under Babar’s leadership.

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Shan Masood has returned from injury, which is a positive development for the Pakistan team ahead of their Test series against England.

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About the Author

Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More

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Original source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/