Babar Azam suffers injury blow after PSL success, ruled out of 1st Test vs Bangladesh

Babar Azam has been ruled out of Pakistan’s opening Test against Bangladesh after suffering a knee injury. The right-handed batter will miss the match, which begins on Friday, May 8 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Babar was in outstanding form following a spectacular Pakistan Super League campaign, where he guided Peshawar Zalmi to the title. However, the injury has now sidelined him, with the star batter set to remain under the supervision of the medical staff.

“Pakistan batter Babar Azam will not be available for the first Test match against Bangladesh due to a injury in left knee. The team’s medical panel is currently assessing his condition. Further updates will be shared in due course,” the PCB wrote in a statement.

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With Babar Azam unavailable, the responsibility will now fall on Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha to anchor Pakistan’s middle order. Earlier, Shan Masood had backed Babar to make a strong return to Test cricket by carrying forward his rich vein of form from the PSL.

Babar impressed both as captain and batter in the PSL. Zalmi remained unbeaten in their first nine matches, winning eight, while their clash against Islamabad United was abandoned. They later crushed United by 70 runs in the Qualifier before securing their second PSL title since 2017.

Babar also enjoyed a phenomenal campaign with the bat, scoring 588 runs at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.90, equalling Fakhar Zaman’s record for the most runs in a single PSL season. He also became only the second batter after Usman Khan to score two centuries in the same PSL edition. With his fourth PSL hundred, Babar is now level with Usman Khan on the league’s all-time list of centurions.

Pakistan do not have fond memories of their recent outings in Bangladesh. Back in 2024, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-0 in a Test series while touring Pakistan, a historic result as Bangladesh had never previously won a Test against them.

At that time, Shan Masood was leading the side, and he will now be hoping to turn things around and make amends in the upcoming series.

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