LONDON: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against England at Headingley, with Salman Ali Agha set to lead the side in the opening match of the three-Test series starting on Wednesday.
Azam has failed to recover from a right-hand injury sustained when he was struck by England Under-19 fast bowler Manny Lumsden during Pakistan’s warm-up against a County Select XI last week. He retired hurt as a precaution.
The 31-year-old was cleared of a fracture to his middle finger and batted briefly in the nets on Monday, but remains unavailable for the first Test.
“Babar Azam is not available, Salman will be captain for the first Test,” Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed told reporters at Headingley on Tuesday.
“It’s not broken, there is a little bit of swelling on the finger. Hopefully he will be available for the second Test match.”
Azam’s absence is a significant setback for Pakistan as they seek their first Test series victory in England for 30 years. He has scored nine Test centuries and averages 43.68.
Saud Shakeel is expected to replace Azam in the batting lineup after missing Pakistan’s recent two-Test series in the West Indies, which ended 1-1.
Pakistan won their two most recent Tests against England in 2024, but both matches were played on spin-friendly pitches at home, making the conditions in Leeds a different challenge.
