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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a big announcement on Sunday morning (July 5) to make Babar Azam the captain again. The Pakistan Men’s National Selection Committee has officially named Babar Azam as the captain of the Test team.
The Pakistan men’s national selection committee also announced the squads for the upcoming tours of West Indies and England during a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. This comes after the PCB allocated PKR 1.1 billion for new central contracts, increased domestic and women’s salaries.
Pakistan announced team for West Indies and England tour
The selectors have selected a 16-member squad for the West Indies tour, while a 17-member squad has been selected for the England tour. Meanwhile, Aaqib Javed has broken his silence on Pakistan contract and Babar Azam’s demotion.
Pakistan will first travel to West Indies for a two-match Test series, which will be played from July 26 to August 6. After the Caribbean tour, the Men in Green will head to England for a challenging three-match Test series scheduled from August 19 to September 13.
After the embarrassing 0-2 defeat in the Test series against Bangladesh, Pakistan will now aim to make a strong comeback under the captaincy of Azam.
Pakistan takes a surprising U-turn as Babar Azam returns as Test captain
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the removal of Shan Masood from the post of Test captain following the poor performance of the team during his tenure. But the selection committee once again surprised many people by giving this difficult task to Babar Azam.
Babar has already led Pakistan in 20 Test matches between 2021 and 2023. He led the team to 10 wins, 6 losses and 4 draws, achieving a solid win percentage of 50.00% before resigning from the position. But he is now back on top and all eyes will be on him to see whether the PCB’s move to return to old ways proves to be the right move or the move to avoid new approaches and mindsets backfires.
“Babar Azam has been named captain for both series. Pakistan will play a two-match Test series against the West Indies from July 25 to August 6, followed by a three-match Test series in England from August 19 to September 13,” the PCB said in an official media release.
Pakistan squad for West Indies test series:
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Aga, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
Pakistan team for England test series:
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam Ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Aga, Saud Shakeel (depending on fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid. Shah
West Indies vs Pakistan Test Series Schedule:
25-29 July: 1st Test at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Taruba
2–6 August: 2nd Test at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Port of Spain
England vs Pakistan Test Series Schedule:
19–23 August: 1st Test at Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds
27–31 August: 2nd Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
9–13 September: Third Test at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham