Pakistan captain Babar Azam injured his hand in the warm-up match against Professional County Club Select XI ahead of first Test vs England starting at Leeds on Wednesday.
Published: August 18, 2026, 12:13 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/bad-news-for-babar-azam-and-pakistan-ahead-of-1st-test-vs-england-star-player-maybe-ruled-out-8504126/
Pakistan captain Babar Azam(Source: X)
England vs Pakistan 2026 1st Test: Pakistan are getting ready to begin a three-match Test series against Joe Root’s England beginning at the Headingley in Leeds on WednesdayBabar Azam’s Pakistan are coming into the series after a 1-1 draw with West Indies in a two-match series earlier this month while England had suffered a 2-1 series loss at home against New Zealand in their last series.
Pakistan are currently in 8th place in a nine-team World Test Championships (WTC) 2025-27 Points Table while England are only slightly better at 7th spotThe visitors hopes of getting off to a winning start in the series has been dealt a severe blow with their skipper Babar Azam in doubt for the Leeds game.
Babar, who missed out on his 10th Test century in the last Test against West Indies by 12 runs, injured his hand in the practice match against Professional County Club Select XI last weekThe Pakistan skipper played no part in the match after being stuck on his bottom hand by England U-19 pacer Manny Lumsden last week.
The 31-year-old batter was forced to retire from the remainder of the practice match as a precaution after being assessed by the team doctorThe injury is a major concern since Babar had previously sustained an injury to the same hand during Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies.
Babar returned to the nets at Headingley on Monday and went through some throwdowns and batting practiceHowever, his session was a brief one and the team management remained cautious ahead of the first Test, which begins on Wednesday.
“Following an assessment by the team doctor and taking precautionary measures, Babar has been advised to take rest from the remainder of the practice match,” a media release from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had stated then.
“Babar will participate in Pakistan team’s practice session on Monday, August 17, at Headingley Cricket Ground.”
Azhar Mahmood discusses the treatment of Babar Azam in Pakistan ahead of the series against England pic.twitter.com/9MQvdlwOZ8
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 17, 2026
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas confirmed that a decision on Pakistan captain’s participation will only be made closer to the opening day of match on Wednesday“Whether he plays or not will be a decision taken on match day,” Abbas said at a media conference“He did a few throwdowns and some batting practice todayBut we’ll have to follow medical advice for it.”
Babar Azam has scored 4674 runs in 64 Tests at an average of 43.68 with 9 hundreds and 33 fifties so far in his career. Under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan’s most recent Test series in the West Indies ended 1-1, with the visitors securing an eight-wicket victory in the second Test to end a run of eight successive overseas Test losses.
Pakistan have received some positive news with former captain Shan Masood returning from injury ahead of the England seriesThe first Test will be played at Headingley from August 19-23, followed by the second at Lord’s from August 27-31 and the third at Edgbaston from September 9-13.
Pakistan Test squad: Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah.
