Babar Azam will miss Pakistan’s first Test against England at Headingley after a hand injury sustained in a warm-up match, with Salman Agha named captain for the August 19-23 opener. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed the change on Tuesday as the three-match ICC World Test Championship series begins.
The decision leaves Pakistan without their leading batter and skipper for the Leeds fixture. Sarfaraz expressed confidence that Salman can handle the role while hoping Babar returns for the second Test at Lord’s.
The timing tightens an already compressed tour. Pakistan must open away from home without their most reliable run-scorer, then hope recovery allows a return at the second venue. England, by contrast, regain a settled leader at a ground that knows him well.
How the hand injury forced Babar out
Babar suffered a blow to his right hand from a rising delivery by England Under-19 pacer Manny Lumsden during Pakistan’s warm-up against a Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham. He was batting on five when the ball struck the same hand injured on the recent West Indies tour.
He left the field after 17 balls and took precautionary rest from the remainder of the practice match. Team doctors assessed him, and he managed only a brief nets session on Monday at Headingley with no visible discomfort reported at the time. By Tuesday the medical advice ruled him out of the first Test.
The sequence left little room for gradual recovery before the toss.
- Beckenham warm-up: rising ball from Lumsden strikes the right hand on five
- Same session: Babar leaves after 17 balls and sits out the rest of the match
- Monday at Headingley: brief nets appearance with no visible discomfort noted
- Tuesday: medical advice rules him out of the first Test
Sarfaraz said Babar is still feeling pain. “He is feeling pain, and the medical team is assessing him. Hopefully, he will be available for the second Test,” the coach told reporters.
As team management, we are confident regarding Salman leading Pakistan in this Test match. He is one of those players who start feeling confident after getting the leadership. As for Babar, it is quite unfortunate that he was hit on the hand. Hopefully, he will be back for the second match.
Sarfaraz Ahmed made the comments after confirming the captaincy change.
The repeat nature of the injury matters. A hand already troubled on the West Indies tour took another blow in English conditions, where the ball can climb sharply. That history helps explain why a short nets session on Monday did not clear him by Tuesday. The medical staff chose caution over hope with a five-day match only days away.
Pakistan now wait on the same assessment cycle ahead of Lord’s. Availability for the second Test remains the stated aim, not a guarantee.
Salman Agha steps into the leadership role
Salman Ali Agha, the 32-year-old Lahore-born right-hand batter and part-time bowler, takes charge for his first Test as captain. He has prior experience leading Pakistan in T20Is and serves as ODI vice-captain. Wisden noted he has captained just four first-class matches.
Salman Agha’s Test record of 27 matches shows 1,683 runs at an average of 37.40 with three centuries and a highest of 132 not out. He has also taken 20 wickets. The all-rounder has been a regular middle-order presence since his 2022 debut.
- Tests: 27 matches, 1,683 runs, avg 37.40, 3 hundreds
- Bowling: 20 wickets at 61.15
- Prior leadership: T20I captain, ODI vice-captain
- FC captaincies: four matches
Sarfaraz highlighted that leadership often lifts Salman’s own game. Pakistan’s squad still lists Babar as captain overall, with Salman standing in for this match only.
The appointment is temporary by design. Babar remains the named captain of the touring party; Salman holds the job for Headingley alone unless recovery timelines shift again. That clarity limits speculation inside the group while still handing Salman full on-field authority for five days.
His white-ball captaincy and ODI vice-captain role give him dressing-room standing that pure first-class numbers do not. Four first-class captaincies is a thin red-ball ledger, yet the coach’s public confidence rests on how Salman has responded to leadership in shorter formats. The expectation is that the armband steadies his own batting rather than distracts from it.
As a middle-order batter who can bowl part-time, he also sits close to the balance questions the side must answer without Babar. His overs, if used, and his runs, which are now essential, both carry extra weight.
England start under Root at his home ground
Joe Root resumes permanent Test captaincy for the first time since 2022, leading in front of his Yorkshire home crowd at Headingley. England named a 16-player squad that brings back Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Brydon Carse and Sam Cook. Jordan Cox bats at three in place of the injured Jacob Bethell.
The full group includes Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue among others. Ben Stokes has retired from the role. Root’s return adds experience against a Pakistan side missing its own leader.
Home advantage and leadership continuity arrive together for England. Root knows Headingley’s slopes, lengths and crowd patterns from years of batting there. Stokes’s retirement from the captaincy leaves no dual-authority question in the dressing room. The 16-player squad spreads risk across seam, spin and middle-order cover.
Recall of Lawrence, Pope, Carse and Cook signals a preference for familiar options at the start of a home cycle. Cox at three covers the Bethell injury without forcing a wholesale reshuffle. Archer, Atkinson and Tongue give the attack pace variety; Bashir supplies spin; Brook, Duckett and Smith anchor the core batting group that Root will organise.
Both teams sit low in the current World Test Championship standings for the 2025-27 cycle.
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | PCT | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 13 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 24.36 | 7th |
| Pakistan | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 22.22 | 8th |
England’s last series was a 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand. Pakistan arrive after a 1-1 draw in the West Indies, where they snapped a run of overseas losses with an eight-wicket win in the second Test under Babar.
The table gap is narrow in percentage terms even though England have played more than twice as many matches. One strong series can move either side; one poor one keeps both near the foot of the cycle. That shared need for points frames the Leeds Test beyond bilaterals alone.
Pakistan’s preparation and recent path
Sarfaraz said the warm-up went well overall. “Our practice match went really good. We covered all our bases in terms of preparation as a bowling and batting unit both and also won that warm-up game. The spirits are quite high and I have a belief in the whole team that we will do well here.”
Shan Masood has returned from his own injury. The squad includes Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Abbas and a mix of pacers and spinners such as Sajid Khan and Aamir Jamal. ICC confirmed Salman Agha as captain for the series opener.
Pakistan’s limited-overs results have shown flashes, including strong showings that echo Pakistan’s recent limited-overs form against sides like Zimbabwe. Red-ball consistency away from home remains the harder task.
The warm-up win and the coach’s upbeat tone sit beside a harder truth. Winning a practice fixture against a Select XI is useful for rhythm; it does not erase the pattern of overseas red-ball struggle that the West Indies draw only partly eased. The eight-wicket win in that series second Test, achieved under Babar, was the break in a losing run abroad. Repeating that standard without him is the immediate test.
Masood’s return restores one experienced batter. Imam, Shafique, Shakeel and Rizwan form the spine around Salman. Abbas leads the seasoned seam threat, with Sajid Khan and Aamir Jamal among the support cast that must share overs on a surface expected to assist pace. Spirits may be high; the selection arithmetic is still tight.
Selection balance without the star batter
Babar’s absence removes the side’s most reliable run-scorer and a calm presence at the top or middle. Analysts on X noted the combination must be reworked, with questions over whether to pack extra batting or bowling given a thin tail and limited all-round options.
Key pressure points include:
- Imam-ul-Haq needing a substantial score to quiet place concerns
- Rizwan and Salman himself required to contribute consistently with the bat
- Bowling unit discipline on what early reports describe as a green Headingley surface
- Whether seven batters or five bowlers better suits the conditions
Salman’s own batting form and any overs he bowls become more central. The green pitch at Leeds historically rewards seam and patience more than free scoring, raising the bar for a visiting batting group already missing its best player.
Every place in the XI now carries a sharper trade-off. Extra batting lengthens the order but thins an attack that must bowl England out twice. Five bowlers strengthen the chance of twenty wickets yet expose a tail that Headingley seams can hurry. Limited all-round depth means Salman’s part-time overs are not a full solution; they are a tactical patch.
Imam’s need for a score, Rizwan’s consistency, and Salman’s dual contribution are not abstract talking points. They are the practical substitutes for the runs Babar has habitually supplied. On a green surface, patience is the method; the personnel must still supply the volume.
How a Green Leeds Pitch Shapes the Contest
Early reports of a green Headingley surface set the tactical frame before a ball is bowled. Seam movement and disciplined lengths historically matter more here than pure pace or heavy spin on the first morning. Visiting batters who push hard at the ball often pay early.
That profile raises the cost of Babar’s absence. His game has long valued soft hands and late decisions, traits that suit moving conditions. Without him, Imam, Shafique, Shakeel, Rizwan and Salman must supply the same restraint across longer periods. A single loose session can undo hours of care.
For England the same pitch offers a familiar home lever. Root’s attack, stocked with seam options among Archer, Atkinson, Carse, Cook and Tongue, can share short spells and keep the ball in productive areas. Bashir remains the spin change rather than the primary weapon if the grass holds.
Pakistan’s bowling unit faces the mirror task: hit a hard length often enough to force errors from Root, Duckett, Brook and the rest, then hold catches when the edge comes. Abbas’s experience sits at the centre of that plan. The warm-up win suggested the group found rhythm; Headingley’s greener look will test whether that rhythm survives the step up in quality.
Selection and surface therefore pull in the same direction. Patience with the bat, discipline with the ball, and clarity about how many bowlers to pick are not separate debates. They are one argument viewed from three angles.
What the Standings Mean for Both Sides
Neither side sits near the top of the 2025-27 World Test Championship table. England’s 24.36 PCT from 13 matches and Pakistan’s 22.22 PCT from six leave them seventh and eighth. The raw win-loss ledgers tell a similar story of more defeats than victories so far in the cycle.
| Side | Recent series note | WTC position | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand | 7th | 24.36 |
| Pakistan | 1-1 draw in West Indies | 8th | 22.22 |
England have volume of matches but not the results to match. Four wins against eight losses and a draw explain the low percentage despite home cricket in the sample. Pakistan’s smaller sample includes the overseas win in the Caribbean that halted a losing run abroad, yet two wins from six still leaves them chasing.
A three-Test series offers a clear chance to move. Full points from even one match lift percentage; two wins change the look of the table for either side. Draws help less under the championship’s scoring, so both teams have incentive to push for results rather than settle for stalemate.
Root’s second permanent spell and Salman’s temporary appointment therefore carry table weight as well as bilateral pride. Headingley is not only a homecoming or an audition. It is an early lever in a cycle where both sides still have ground to make up.
Three Tests and a points race that matters
The series schedule is tight:
- August 19-23: First Test, Headingley, Leeds
- August 27-31: Second Test, Lord’s
- September 9-13: Third Test, Edgbaston
Pakistan have not secured a Test series victory in England for decades, with draws and defeats dominating recent tours including the 2016 2-2 result. Both sides enter needing wins to climb the WTC table. England hold a slight PCT edge but have played more matches and sit only one place above Pakistan.
The gap between the first and second Tests is short. Babar’s hoped-for return at Lord’s depends on the same hand settling inside that window. Edgbaston then arrives after a longer break, giving whichever XI is selected time to reset. The calendar itself becomes part of the medical and selection puzzle.
History offers Pakistan little comfort on English soil. Decades without a series win, and a 2-2 split in 2016 as the standout recent return, show how rare sustained success has been. A single upset at Leeds would not rewrite that record, but it would supply the result both the WTC table and the tour narrative require.
For Salman Agha the next five days are an unexpected audition. For Babar the focus shifts to recovery so he can rejoin for Lord’s. For Root it is the start of a permanent second spell in charge on home soil. Headingley will test all three threads at once when the first ball is bowled.
