Babar Azam Returns As Pakistan’s Test Cricket Captain for Third Stint

Lahore: Pakistan on Sunday replaced struggling Test captain Shan Masood with Babar Azam, who will start as captain for the third time on tours of the West Indies and England from later this month.

Masood, 36, took over from Azam in December 2023 and led the team to 12 defeats in 16 Tests. Pakistan finished ninth and last in the last World Test Championship cycle.

They sit ninth again in the current cycle following a 2-0 series defeat in Bangladesh in May.

“Azam will be our new Test captain as we feel Masood cannot lead the way we want,” Pakistan selector Aaqib Javed said at a press conference to announce the team on Sunday.

“The selection committee discussed who could be the best player to lead Pakistan and Azam is the best option,” Javed said. he said.

This will be the third stint with the team for top-order batsman Azam, who left the post in November 2023 and then again in October 2024.

Pakistan will play the first of two Tests against the West Indies in Tarouba, Trinidad, starting July 25. The second one will start in Port of Spain from 2 August.

Pakistan will then travel to England for tests at Headingley from 19 August, Lord’s from 27 August and Edgbaston from 9 September.

Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali were excluded after being part of the squad that lost 2-0 in Bangladesh.

The selectors included 20-year-old uncapped fast bowler Ubaid Shah, Naseem’s younger brother, who was left out of the squad.

Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali were the other three fast bowlers selected.

Uncapped middle-order batsman Awais Zafar and left-arm spinner Ali Usman were included for the first time.

Pakistan squad: 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, Saud Shakeel (subject to England availability)