Hand Injury Forces Babar Azam Out of 1st Test; Salman Ali Agha Named Stand-In Captain

Pakistan have suffered a massive blow ahead of the first Test of their tour of England, with skipper Babar Azam officially ruled out of the Headingley Test. All-rounder and T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha will be leading the side in Babar’s absence in the opening game.

Babar’s absence from the opening game was confirmed by Pakistan’s Test coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed, during a press conference ahead of the Test match.

Babar Azam suffered a hand injury during the warm-up game

The Pakistan Test skipper sustained an injury on his right hand while batting during Pakistan’s scheduled warm-up game against the PCCC Select XI in Beckham ahead of this Test match. The incident took place in the 39th over when pacer Manny Lumsden’s delivery struck Babar directly on his hand. The 31-year-old batter received immediate medical attention on the field but had to retire hurt after feeling discomfort.

The impact of the blow was particularly concerning because it struck the same hand Babar injured during the second Test of Pakistan’s recent Test tour of the West Indies.

Addressing the captain’s unavailability, head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed stated:

“Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first Test match.”

Sarfaraz further elaborated on the situation and assigned the leadership duties to Salman Ali Agha:

“Salman Agha will be the captain for the first Test.”

Team Management hoping for Babar’s return in the second Test

While Babar’s absence will leave a massive void in Pakistan’s XI for the opening Test, medical scans have confirmed that he hasn’t suffered a bone fracture and could be available for the second Test, set to be played at the home of cricket, i.e., Lord’s.

The medical team is focusing on managing the pain and inflammation before re-evaluating his readiness for the second Test. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed seemed optimistic about Babar’s recovery timeline. He quoted, 

“The medical team is assessing Babar. He has quite a bit of pain in the finger. There are still a few days to go before the second Test. Hopefully, he will recover by then.”

Salman Ali Agha to lead the Test side for the first time

In Babar Azam’s absence, Pakistan’s T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha will be leading the side. This would be the first instance when Salman will lead the Test side. He did the same in the warm-up game as well when Babar didn’t return to the field after getting injured.

With the pitch at Headingley expected to present tough conditions against England’s fast bowling, Salman faces an immediate test of his leadership skills. On a positive note for the tourists, former skipper Shan Masood has fully recovered from his own finger injury and remains available for selection to strengthen the batting order.

Pakistan’s Best Possible XI for Headingley Test

Here’s the best possible playing XI for Pakistan for the first Test against England at Headingley.