Babar Azam returns as Pakistan Test captain for England, West Indies tours; Shaheen dropped
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Babar Azam returns as Pakistan Test captain for England, West Indies tours; Shaheen dropped")
Babar Azam returns as Pakistan Test captain for ENG, WI tours; Shaheen dropped Photograph: (Others)
Babar Azam has been reappointed as Pakistan’s Test captain for the upcoming tours of England and the West Indies, replacing Shan Masood. Discover the full squad changes, including the omission of Shaheen Shah Afridi and new uncapped call-ups.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday (Jul 5) reappointed Babar Azam as the new Test captain for the upcoming tours of the West Indies and England. Babar will replace struggling Shan Masood, marking his third distinct stint as Pakistan's Test skipper. Masood only replaced Babar as captain of the Test side in December 2023, leading Pakistan to 12 defeats in 16 Tests. Under his captaincy, Pakistan failed to qualify for the WTC final in the last cycle by finishing at the bottom. On the other hand, the selectors have also dropped ace seamer and ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Test squad for the away Tests.
Meanwhile, Pakistan currently sits in ninth place in the ongoing WTC cycle after a 2-0 defeat against Bangladesh in May.
"Azam will be our new Test captain as we feel that Masood could not lead as desired," Pakistan selector Aaqib Javed said at a news conference on
Sunday. "The selection committee discussed who could be the best player to lead Pakistan, and Azam is the best option.”
After losing their maiden Test series to Bangladesh in Bangladesh, Pakistan’s next assignment is a two-match series against the West Indies in Tarouba, Trinidad, starting July 25. The second begins in Port-of-Spain on August 2. Pakistan will then travel to England for Tests at Headingley, beginning August 19, Lord's from August 27 and Edgbaston starting on September 9.
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The selectors axed Afridi and Hasan Ali for the away tours, while including the 20-year-old uncapped fast bowler Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem, who was left out of the squad. Mohammad Abbas will lead the pace attack, also consisting of Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali.
Uncapped middle-order batter Awais Zafar and left-arm spinner Ali Usman also earned their maiden Test call-up.
Check out Pakistan Test squad for ENG, WI tours -
Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah and Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness for England)
