Babar Azam ruled out of England 1st Test; Salman Ali Agha to captain Pakistan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam misses the first Test against England due to a finger injury, with Salman Agha taking charge. Babar hopes to return for the second Test at Lord’s. Shan Masood also returns after recovering from injury. England, meanwhile, begin a new era with Joe Root as captain following Ben Stokes’ retirement, while Marcus Trescothick takes interim coaching duties.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against England at Headingley starting Wednesday, with Salman Ali Agha taking over as skipper. Azam has been unable to overcome an injury to his right hand after being struck by England Under-19 paceman Manny Lumsden during Pakistan’s warm-up game last week against a County Select XI. He promptly retired hurt in what a team spokesman said was a “precautionary measure”. It is the same hand he was struck on during the second Test against the West Indies earlier this month. Azam batted briefly in the Headingley nets on Monday but, while he has been cleared of a broken middle finger, he has not been passed fit to lead the side in the first of a three-Test series. “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 major blow to Pakistan as they begin their quest to win a Test series in England for the first time in 30 years given he is also one of their leading batsmen, with nine Test hundreds and a career average of 43.68. Saul Shakeel is in line to replace the 31-year-old Azam in the team after missing the recent two-match series in the West Indies, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Pakistan did win their two most recent Tests against England without Azam on home soil in 2024, but the surface in Leeds is likely to be vastly different to the extremely spin-friendly surfaces in Multan and Rawalpindi.

In a major setback for Pakistani cricket fans, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against England at Headingley on August 19 due to a right-hand injury. There are reports that Salman Ali Agha will take charge of the team in Babar's absence. Salman will lead the team in a Test match for the first time ever in his career. He has already led Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is.Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed on Tuesday confirmed Babar's unavailability before the Test. He also announced that Agha would lead the side in the match. BAD NEWS FOR PAKISTAN. - Babar Azam has been ruled out of the 1st Test against England.- Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan in his absence. pic.twitter.com/DByxigCNh2— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) August 18, 2026 Babar picked up the injury to the middle finger of his right hand during Pakistan's three-day warm-up game against the Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham. He was already recovering from an earlier injury to the same hand which he suffered during the second Test against the West Indies.The Pakistan captain had been adviced to rest for the remainder of the warm-up game by the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) medical team. However, he returned to training on Monday (August 17) and took part in some batting practice. BIG BLOW FOR PAKISTAN: BABAR AZAM RULED OUT OF 1ST TEST! - In a massive setback for Pakistan ahead of the Headingley Test, Babar Azam has been ruled out of the 1st Test against England due to an injury!- In his absence, Salman Ali Agha will step up to lead the national… pic.twitter.com/tBGIsf8FTu— M Farhan (@MFarhan1200) August 18, 2026 Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas had earlier said that a final decision on Babar's availability would be taken before the Test. However, the team management confirmed that he would miss the match on the eve of the game.The absence of Babar is a major blow for Pakistan ahead of the England Test. Salman Agha has previously captained Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is but will lead the team in a Test match for the first time.Injury Scare For Pakistan: Captain Babar Azam's England Test Spot In Doubt After Middle-Finger Injury; VIDEOPakistan Squad For England Test: Babar Azam (Captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-Keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid ShahSeries scheduleFirst Test: August 19–23, HeadingleySecond Test: August 27–31, Lord'sThird Test: September 9–13, Edgbaston

Pakistan are still waiting for a final update on Babar Azam’s fitness ahead of the first Test against England. Babar injured the middle-finger of his right hand during Pakistan's warm-up match against a Professional County Club Select XI.Babar Azam is just knocking today, not taking part in full training ahead of the first Test at Headingley. Full training video on my YouTube Channel… link in bio pic.twitter.com/f52fxszRou— Abu Bakar Tarar (@abubakartarar_) August 17, 2026 The injury is a concern because he had suffered a problem with the same hand during Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies.Babar was batting on five when a rising delivery from England Under-19 pacer Manny Lumsden hit his bottom hand.NOT GOOD SIGNS FOR PAKISTAN. - Babar Azam’s right middle finger remains heavily taped. pic.twitter.com/PWoramIBGJ— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) August 17, 2026 The Pakistan batter was clearly in pain after being hit and did not return to bat in the practice game.The Pakistan Cricket Board later said Babar had been adviced to rest as a precaution after an assessment by the team doctor.Babar returned to training on Monday and batted in the nets at Headingley Cricket Ground. UPDATE ON BABAR AZAM INJURY - Babar Azam had a short net batting session in today's practice at Headingley, Leeds.- Babar Azam's left middle finger remains heavily taped to fully recover from his injury and be fit for the first Test.- The team management will decide… pic.twitter.com/TR7fN0hEPX— Rayham. (@RayhamUnplugged) August 17, 2026 He did not appear to be in discomfort but his batting session was short. Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas said a final decision on Babar's availability would be taken on match day."Whether he plays or not will be a decision taken on match day," Abbas said. "He did a few throwdowns and some batting practice today. But we'll have to follow medical advice for it."Pakistan will therefore wait for further medical advice before deciding whether Babar is fit enough to face England.The fitness concern comes at an important time for Babar. He has recently been re-appointed as Pakistan's Test captain and will be expected to play a key role with both the bat and as a leader.Pakistan drew their recent Test series in the West Indies 1-1. They ended an eight-match run of overseas Test defeats by winning the second match by eight wickets.Pakistan Captain Babar Azam Suffers Injury Scare, Walks Off As Bowler Celebrates In Practice Match Ahead Of ENG Vs PAK Tests | VIDEOPakistan Test Squad: Babar Azam (Captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-Keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah Series scheduleFirst Test: August 19–23, HeadingleySecond Test: August 27–31, Lord'sThird Test: September 9–13, Edgbaston