Pakistan captain Babar Azam looks set to return to the side after a “positive” training session, two days out from the start of the second Test at Lord’s.
Bowling coach Umar Gul said Babar “looked good” while batting, as he continues his recovery from a finger injury first picked up in the West Indies and later aggravated after being hit during Pakistan’s practice game at Beckenham. “Babar batted in the nets, faced fast bowlers, spinners and throwdowns,” Gul said. “We’re hopeful he will be available for the game and today he was looking good; he batted well in the nets. He had a full batting session.”
Babar’s return would be a major boost for a Pakistan batting lineup that hit new lows at Headingley, where England needed fewer than 86 overs to dismiss Pakistan twice, their fifth-fewest across two completed innings in a Test. In the series before this one, Babar was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer against the West Indies, notching two half-centuries and 193 runs across two dismissals.
While Gul stopped short of formally confirming Babar’s inclusion, it is understood to be close to certain. His return would also see him resume the Pakistan captaincy, a role he was reappointed to ahead of the West Indies series, marking his first time leading the side in England since being named captain immediately following Pakistan’s previous tour there in 2020.
His comeback is expected to prompt a reshuffle at the top of the order, with Azan Awais likely making way. Either Shan Masood or Abdullah Shafique is expected to move up to open, with Babar slotting in at No. 4.
Babar has a strong record in England, having scored three half-centuries in six innings there at an average of 65.75. Across 14 innings against England overall, he averages 53.83, reaching either a fifty or a hundred in half of those innings.
Gul, however, cautioned that Pakistan’s fortunes cannot rest on Babar’s return alone. “We’ll have to learn from the mistakes we made in the previous game. If you want to win a Test match, you have to perform in all departments. One can’t be carrying the other. But in these conditions, the responsibility lies more with the bowlers. Until you take 20 wickets, you can’t win a Test match,” he said, adding that the squad had trained with full intensity. “I’m pretty sure the boys will bounce back properly here.”
