Babar Azam's finger injury raises doubts for first Test against England

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 was ruled out of the first test against England starting on Wednesday because of a hand injury. Babar was struck on the middle finger of his right hand while batting against the West Indies this month, and hit again in a warmup game last week in Beckenham. “Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first test match,” Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said on Tuesday.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam remains doubtful for Wednesday’s first Test against England as he recovers from a finger injury. He bats briefly in the nets but will undergo further assessment before a match-day decision. Opener Shan Masood, also recovering from a fractured finger, trains fully and appears closer to returning. Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas says medical advice will guide both selections.

Pakistan are set to make a late selection call over Babar as they await clearance of his finger injury from the medical panel