Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has shown positive signs in his recovery from the finger injury that kept him out of the series opener at Headingley. Two days before the second Test match begins on Thursday at Lord’s, Babar trained in the nets and looked good, Pakistan’s bowling coach Umar Gul said. The former speedster added that Babar batted comfortably during the training sessions, boosting his chances of returning to the side at the Mecca of cricket.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Babar 👀 <a href="https://t.co/aIVlyUke9c">pic.twitter.com/aIVlyUke9c</a>&mdash; Lord&#39;s Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) <a href="https://x.com/HomeOfCricket/status/2092186643709010034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ahead of the UK tour, Pakistan’s first since 2020, Babar suffered a blow to his finger during an away Test against the West Indies, and then during Pakistan’s scheduled warm-up fixture (on the same finger), which ruled him out. Salman Ali Agha captained in his absence, and Pakistan lost the first Test inside three days by an innings and 103 runs.&nbsp;Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/rishabh-pant-injury-update-morne-morkel-day-4-wicketkeeping-colombo-test-1787669230699">'Badly bruised but will keep wickets on Day 4': Morkel gives key update on Rishabh Pant's injury</a> &nbsp;"Babar batted in the nets, faced fast bowlers, spinners and throwdowns," Gul said. "We're hopeful he will be available for the game, and today he was looking good; he batted well in the nets. He had a full batting session." &nbsp;Meanwhile, Babar’s return will boost Pakistan’s batting line-up, which created an unwanted record of getting dismissed twice inside 86 overs in total – Pakistan’s fifth-fewest in two completed innings. Against the West Indies in the previous Test series, Babar top-scored with the bat, scoring 193 runs. &nbsp;Babar’s return will also see changes in the top order, as Azan Awais will likely make way for him, while either Abdullah Shafique or Shan Masood will move up the order. Not only will Babar assume captaincy, but he will also bat at his preferred position at number four. His numbers in England, however, are impressive as he averages over 65 in six innings, including three fifties.&nbsp; &nbsp;Against England overall in Tests, Babar averages 53.83 in 14 Tests.<h2>Gul on Improving Performances</h2>Pakistan was in shambles in the first Test, and despite Babar’s potential return, the side must learn from the mistakes and play better cricket to seek any chance of making a comeback in this Test series. &nbsp;"We'll have to learn from the mistakes we made in the previous game. If you want to win a Test match, you have to perform in all departments. One can't be carrying the other. But in these conditions, the responsibility lies more with the bowlers. Until you take 20 wickets, you can't win a Test match. &nbsp;"The players trained today with full intensity. I'm pretty sure the boys will bounce back properly here,” Gul added.

Babar Azam trained in the nets ahead of the 2nd Test at Lord's, with bowling coach Umar Gul confirming the Pakistan skipper is on track to return against England.

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has shown positive signs in his recovery from the finger injury that kept him out of the series opener at Headingley. Two days before the second Test match begins on Thursday at Lord’s, Babar trained in the nets and looked good, Pakistan’s bowling coach Umar Gul said. The former speedster added that Babar batted comfortably during the training sessions, boosting his chances of returning to the side at the Mecca of cricket.

Babar Azam trained in the nets ahead of the 2nd Test at Lord's, with bowling coach Umar Gul confirming the Pakistan skipper is on track to return against England.

Babar Azam set to return from injury for second Test against England at Lord’s

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is ruled out of the first Test against England starting on Wednesday (Aug 19) at Headingley due to a hand injury he suffered in the side’s scheduled warm-up fixture in Beckenham. Unfortunately for the country’s talismanic batter, he was hit on the same hand that suffered a blow during the West Indies tour earlier this month. White-ball skipper Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan in the series opener in Babar’s absence. &nbsp;"Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first Test match," Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said. "Salman Agha will be the captain for the first Test." &nbsp;The coach detailed the extent of Babar’s absence, confirming that it’s confined to the first Test only, as he has not suffered a fracture on his middle finger of the right hand.&nbsp;Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-vs-bangladesh-2nd-test-squad-weatherald-dropped-renshaw-1787052535124">Australia drop opener Jake Weatherald for 2nd Test vs Bangladesh; Matt Renshaw recalled</a> &nbsp;"The medical team is assessing Babar. He has quite a bit of pain in the finger," Sarfaraz said. "There are still a few days to go before the second Test. Hopefully, he will recover by then." &nbsp;Babar’s absence comes at a time for Pakistan when they looked to build on the momentum created following their rare away win in the second Test in the Caribbean, where Babar was the highest run-scorer for his team across two Tests. Just after he again assumed captaincy duties on the West Indies tour, Babar roared back to form, hitting two fifties in four innings, registering 88 in the second Test. &nbsp;During the warm-up game, Babar got hit on the same hand and did not participate in the remainder of the match, which Pakistan won. The team was, however, pessimistic about his chances for the series opener, and much to their disappointment, the worst happened: Babar was ruled out of the first Test. &nbsp;Meanwhile, Agha, amongst the few regulars across formats, has never captained Pakistan in Tests despite being an integral part of the team’s leadership group. The right-hander will enter this Test series on the back of a disappointing tour of the Caribbean, where he scored just 20 runs in three innings.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Our practice match gave us a lot of confidence. Whatever bases we needed to cover with bat and ball, we did. We believe we'll do very well here,” the coach added while detailing the possible XI for the first Test. &nbsp;Former captain Shan Masood has also recovered from a fractured finger and is ready to start for Pakistan.&nbsp;

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the 1st Test against England at Headingley due to a hand injury. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha will lead the side in his absence. 

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is ruled out of the first Test against England starting on Wednesday (Aug 19) at Headingley due to a hand injury he suffered in the side’s scheduled warm-up fixture in Beckenham. Unfortunately for the country’s talismanic batter, he was hit on the same hand that suffered a blow during the West Indies tour earlier this month. White-ball skipper Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan in the series opener in Babar’s absence. "Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first Test match," Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said. "Salman Agha will be the captain for the first Test." The coach detailed the extent of Babar’s absence, confirming that it’s confined to the first Test only, as he has not suffered a fracture on his middle finger of the right hand. Also read| Australia drop opener Jake Weatherald for 2nd Test vs Bangladesh; Matt Renshaw recalled "The medical team is assessing Babar. He has quite a bit of pain in the finger," Sarfaraz said. "There are still a few days to go before the second Test. Hopefully, he will recover by then." Babar’s absence comes at a time for Pakistan when they looked to build on the momentum created following their rare away win in the second Test in the Caribbean, where Babar was the highest run-scorer for his team across two Tests. Just after he again assumed captaincy duties on the West Indies tour, Babar roared back to form, hitting two fifties in four innings, registering 88 in the second Test. During the warm-up game, Babar got hit on the same hand and did not participate in the remainder of the match, which Pakistan won. The team was, however, pessimistic about his chances for the series opener, and much to their disappointment, the worst happened: Babar was ruled out of the first Test. Meanwhile, Agha, amongst the few regulars across formats, has never captained Pakistan in Tests despite being an integral part of the team’s leadership group. The right-hander will enter this Test series on the back of a disappointing tour of the Caribbean, where he scored just 20 runs in three innings. "Our practice match gave us a lot of confidence. Whatever bases we needed to cover with bat and ball, we did. We believe we'll do very well here,” the coach added while detailing the possible XI for the first Test. Former captain Shan Masood has also recovered from a fractured finger and is ready to start for Pakistan.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the 1st Test against England at Headingley due to a hand injury. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha will lead the side in his absence.&nbsp;

Pakistan captain Babar Azam ruled out of 1st Test against England; Salman Agha to lead

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Babar Azam set to return from injury for second Test against England at Lord’s

Babar Azam ruled out of 1st Test against England; Salman Agha to lead Pakistan