Shan Masood sacked, Babar Azam back: Pakistan's cricket musical chair on again
Babar Azam returns as Pakistan's Test captain for the upcoming tours of the West Indies and England, despite a prolonged lean patch. He replaces the sacked Shan Masood, who paid the price for a dismal run of 12 defeats in 16 Tests.
In yet another dramatic turn for the revolving door of Pakistan cricket leadership, Babar Azam has been reinstated as the national Test captain. The Pakistan Men's National Selection Committee announced the decision during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, confirming that Babar will lead the red-ball side for the upcoming demanding tours of the West Indies and England.
Babar replaces the left-handed batter Shan Masood, whose dismissal felt increasingly inevitable following a dismal run of structural results. Appointed during the 2023 to 2024 season, Masood oversaw a deeply troubled period for the Test side, managing a mere four victories while suffering twelve defeats across his sixteen matches in charge.
The tipping point for the selection committee arrived two months ago when Pakistan suffered a humiliating 0-2 series whitewash in Bangladesh. That defeat left the team languishing at the absolute bottom of the nine-team World Test Championship table, having secured just a single victory from four matches in the ongoing cycle. Whilst Masood led Pakistan to one solitary series triumph, a hard-fought 2-1 victory against England on home soil in 2024, he lost four of the seven series he spearheaded. Ironically, Masood was one of Pakistan's more reliable performers with the bat during this stretch, aggregating 1,056 runs at a respectable average of 34.06. However, his individual contributions could not salvage a failing captaincy tenure.
IS BABAR THE RIGHT MAN?
The decision to elevate Babar back to the helm represents a remarkable gamble, particularly given his highly publicised struggles in the longest format of the game. This will be Babar's second stint as Test captain, having previously led the red-ball team between 2021 and 2023, where he won ten out of twenty matches. His initial leadership chapter ended when he was stripped of the captaincy following Pakistan's poor performance at the 2023 One Day International World Cup. A brief re-appointment as the T20 International captain before the 2024 T20 World Cup similarly ended in a sacking after another disappointing tournament showing.
The continuing musical chairs at the top of Pakistan cricket comes despite Babar enduring an unusually lean three-year run in Test cricket. Playing under Masood's captaincy, Babar managed an ordinary average of just 27.26, crossing the fifty-run mark only five times. More concerningly for a batsman of his elite caliber, Babar has not scored a Test century since 2022. The selectors are clearly betting that returning the captaincy armband to their premier batsman will spark a renaissance in his form, rather than exacerbate the technical pressure on his batting.
PAKISTAN SQUAD FOR WEST INDIES TOUR
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
PAKISTAN SQUAD FOR ENGLAND TOUR
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
Babar's immediate assignment will be to steady a fractured side across two contrasting overseas tours. The selection committee named a 16-member squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, which runs from 25 July to 6 August. The team will then travel directly to the United Kingdom for a high-profile three-match Test series against England, scheduled from 19 August to 13 September, for which a 17-member squad has been designated.
Injecting some fresh blood into a stagnant setup, the selectors have included four uncapped players across both touring parties. Left-arm orthodox spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batsman Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm express bowler Ubaid Shah, and wicket-keeper batsman Muhammad Ghazi Ghori have all earned their maiden call-ups to the senior Test squad.
Schedule for West Indies series:
25-29 July - First Test, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
2-6 August - Second Test, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Port of Spain
Schedule for England series:
19-23 August - First Test, Leeds
27-31 August - Second Test, Lord's
9-13 September - Third Test, Birmingham
In yet another dramatic turn for the revolving door of Pakistan cricket leadership, Babar Azam has been reinstated as the national Test captain. The Pakistan Men's National Selection Committee announced the decision during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, confirming that Babar will lead the red-ball side for the upcoming demanding tours of the West Indies and England.
Babar replaces the left-handed batter Shan Masood, whose dismissal felt increasingly inevitable following a dismal run of structural results. Appointed during the 2023 to 2024 season, Masood oversaw a deeply troubled period for the Test side, managing a mere four victories while suffering twelve defeats across his sixteen matches in charge.
The tipping point for the selection committee arrived two months ago when Pakistan suffered a humiliating 0-2 series whitewash in Bangladesh. That defeat left the team languishing at the absolute bottom of the nine-team World Test Championship table, having secured just a single victory from four matches in the ongoing cycle. Whilst Masood led Pakistan to one solitary series triumph, a hard-fought 2-1 victory against England on home soil in 2024, he lost four of the seven series he spearheaded. Ironically, Masood was one of Pakistan's more reliable performers with the bat during this stretch, aggregating 1,056 runs at a respectable average of 34.06. However, his individual contributions could not salvage a failing captaincy tenure.
IS BABAR THE RIGHT MAN?
The decision to elevate Babar back to the helm represents a remarkable gamble, particularly given his highly publicised struggles in the longest format of the game. This will be Babar's second stint as Test captain, having previously led the red-ball team between 2021 and 2023, where he won ten out of twenty matches. His initial leadership chapter ended when he was stripped of the captaincy following Pakistan's poor performance at the 2023 One Day International World Cup. A brief re-appointment as the T20 International captain before the 2024 T20 World Cup similarly ended in a sacking after another disappointing tournament showing.
The continuing musical chairs at the top of Pakistan cricket comes despite Babar enduring an unusually lean three-year run in Test cricket. Playing under Masood's captaincy, Babar managed an ordinary average of just 27.26, crossing the fifty-run mark only five times. More concerningly for a batsman of his elite caliber, Babar has not scored a Test century since 2022. The selectors are clearly betting that returning the captaincy armband to their premier batsman will spark a renaissance in his form, rather than exacerbate the technical pressure on his batting.
PAKISTAN SQUAD FOR WEST INDIES TOUR
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
PAKISTAN SQUAD FOR ENGLAND TOUR
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
Babar's immediate assignment will be to steady a fractured side across two contrasting overseas tours. The selection committee named a 16-member squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, which runs from 25 July to 6 August. The team will then travel directly to the United Kingdom for a high-profile three-match Test series against England, scheduled from 19 August to 13 September, for which a 17-member squad has been designated.
Injecting some fresh blood into a stagnant setup, the selectors have included four uncapped players across both touring parties. Left-arm orthodox spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batsman Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm express bowler Ubaid Shah, and wicket-keeper batsman Muhammad Ghazi Ghori have all earned their maiden call-ups to the senior Test squad.
Schedule for West Indies series:
25-29 July - First Test, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
2-6 August - Second Test, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Port of Spain
Schedule for England series:
19-23 August - First Test, Leeds
27-31 August - Second Test, Lord's
9-13 September - Third Test, Birmingham
