Pakistan are still uncertain over Babar Azam’s availability for the opening Test against England as the experienced batter continues to recover from a finger problem.
Babar initially hurt his right hand while batting during the second Test against West Indies. His recovery suffered another concern when he was hit on the same hand during Pakistan’s practice fixture against the Professional County Club Select XI at Beckenham. He retired hurt and took no further part, although the PCB described his withdrawal as a precaution.
Pakistan reached Leeds on Sunday before holding their first training session at Headingley on Monday, two days before the three match Test series begins. Babar spent some time batting in the nets and completed several throwdowns. He appeared relatively comfortable, although his session was noticeably short.
Mohammad Abbas confirmed that Pakistan’s medical staff and selectors will wait until match day before deciding whether Babar is ready to play. Abbas explained that the final call will depend heavily on medical guidance.
Should Babar miss the contest, Pakistan could field both Saud Shakeel and Awais Zafar in the middle order. Shakeel, who was absent during the West Indies series, strengthened his case by scoring a century in the Beckenham practice match. Zafar made his Test debut in the second game against West Indies.
There was more encouraging news regarding Shan Masood. The left hander fractured a finger during the opening Test in the Caribbean and subsequently missed the second match as well as the Beckenham fixture. However, he completed a longer batting session at Headingley, with Abbas saying Masood looked in strong condition.
Babar’s possible absence would also create a leadership question. He replaced Masood as captain at the beginning of the West Indies series, while Salman Agha led the team in Beckenham despite never captaining Pakistan in Test cricket.
