Cricket-Pakistan's Babar to miss first England test, Salman named stand-in captain


Cricket - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Group A - India v Pakistan - R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka - February 15, 2026 Pakistan's Babar Azam in action REUTERS/Lahiru Harshana

LEEDS, England, ⁠Aug 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan captain Babar Azam ⁠will miss this week's first ‌test in against England after injuring his right hand during a warm-up match and ​Salman Ali Agha will deputise, ⁠head coach Sarfaraz ⁠Ahmed said on Tuesday.

Babar, who was ⁠re-appointed ‌as Pakistan's test captain in July, suffered an injury ⁠to the same hand during the ​second test ‌against West Indies this month.

"He ⁠is feeling ​pain, and the medical team is assessing him. Hopefully, he will be ⁠available for the second ​test," Sarfaraz told reporters.

The absence of Babar, who has scored nine centuries in ⁠64 tests, is a blow for the tourists.

Salman, who has captained Pakistan in white-ball cricket, will lead the ​team in a ⁠test match for the first time.

The ​first of three tests ‌starts in Leeds on ​Wednesday.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)

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