Babar Azam ruled out of first Bangladesh Test as Pakistan hand debuts to Awais and Fazal
Babar Azam will not play Pakistan's opening Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, ruled out with a left knee injury that flared up at training on Thursday. Pakistan won the toss on Friday morning, elected to bowl, and handed Test debuts to two uncapped batters in Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal.
Knee scan after Thursday session
Babar trained normally for the first two days with the squad before pulling out of Thursday's session early. He had complained of pain in his left knee, and the medical staff sent him for scans. The team management have not put a timeline on his return and have not ruled him out of the series altogether, but he will not feature in the first Test that runs through May 12.
The setback lands at an awkward moment for Babar himself. He finished PSL 2026 as the leading run-scorer, took home the Green Cap, and led Peshawar Zalmi to the title at Gaddafi Stadium with a five-wicket win over Hyderabad Kingsmen. He arrived in Bangladesh with the most red-ball-relevant momentum he has carried in some time.
Two debuts at the top of the order
Imam-ul-Haq returns to the Test side, and the rest of the new-look top order is fresh. Abdullah Fazal, a 23-year-old left-handed opener, has scored four centuries and ten fifties since his first-class debut in 2024 and finished as the leading run-scorer of the President's Trophy. Azan Awais comes in with ten first-class hundreds, including a record-setting purple patch in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he hit a century in three consecutive matches.
Shan Masood captains and bats at four, with Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan slotting in at five and six. Noman Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas form the bowling attack on a Mirpur surface that has historically had something for the seamers in the early sessions. Pakistan elected to bowl after winning the toss in conditions that suggested early movement.
What it means for the series
This is a two-match series. Mirpur hosts the first Test until May 12, after which the squads travel to Sylhet for the second and final game from May 16 to 20. Babar's status for the second Test will hinge on his recovery window, and Pakistan have stopped short of ruling him out entirely.
Bangladesh, sensing an opening against an unsettled Pakistan top order, will look to lean on the debutants from ball one. The Test plays out without Babar's name on the team sheet, and that alone reshapes the batting picture for the visitors.
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