NEW DELHI: According to Geo News, former captain Babar Azam will not open for Pakistan in the two forthcoming home Test matches against the West Indies.
When Saim Ayub was not available, Babar, who had just lately found his form again, opened Pakistan's innings. While chasing the ball with teammate Aamer Jamal, the young southpaw hurt his ankle. He hurt his ankle after losing his footing.
Ayub was unable to bat in both innings due to this most recent injury setback. Alongside captain Shan Masood, Babar, who has a lot of experience as an opener, onto the field.
He batted with assurance in his maiden turn, scoring 58 runs off of 127 deliveries. Following a follow-on from South Africa, Babar scored 81 (124) to join Shan in a record-breaking opening partnership of 201 runs.
The management of Pakistan chose to trust Imam-ul-Haq when Ayub was sidelined. Another alternative was Abdullah Shafique, but because of his poor batting form, he is still out.
Imam has played in 24 Test matches for Pakistan, amassing 1,568 runs, including three hundreds. This is the 29-year-old southpaw's first appearance in the Test squad since 2023. On December 26, 2023, he made his final Test match appearance for Pakistan at Australia.
Mohammad Haris is the second opener selected for the two Test matches against the Caribbean team, behind Imam. The youthful opener has not yet been awarded a Pakistani Test cap.
According to Geo News, Babar would probably move back to number three with a few openers in the team. On January 17, the first Test will start in Multan.
