Why Babar Azam is not playing the first Test against England at Headingley

Pakistan has been dealt a significant blow ahead of the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, with Babar Azam ruled out of the series opener. The three-Test series began on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, with England winning the toss and electing to field first.

Joe Root, leading England in place of Ben Stokes, said the hosts expect some assistance from the overhead conditions and the moisture on the surface early on. Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted that his side would also have preferred to bat first.

Babar was struck on the right hand during Pakistan's tour match at Beckenham, where England Under-19 pacer Manny Lumsden delivered the blow. As a precautionary measure, Babar retired hurt and did not return to the field for the remainder of that warm-up game.

The same right hand had also been struck during the second Test against West Indies earlier in August 2026. Babar had scored 88 in the first Test against West Indies and remained unbeaten on 24 in the second Test. Those performances had taken him back into the ICC Test top 10.

Despite attempting to bat in the Headingley nets on Monday, August 18, Babar was not declared fit to play. In the days leading up to the match, Pakistan's outlook on his availability had grown increasingly uncertain.

Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed the absence at a press conference at Headingley on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

"Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first Test match. Salman Agha will be the captain for the first Test," stated Sarfaraz.

Salman Agha has been named as stand-in captain for the Headingley Test, which is also a World Test Championship series opener. This will be the first time Salman leads Pakistan in Test cricket, having previously captained the side in T20 cricket since 2024.

Salman has appeared in 27 Tests since making his debut in 2022 and is a middle-order batter and off-spinner who began his first-class career in 2013. He had already taken over the captaincy during the Beckenham warm-up game after Babar retired hurt.

Pakistan: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha (c), Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Abbas.

England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.