By: News Desk 92Pavilion
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again turned to Babar Azam, reappointing him as the country’s Test captain and ending Shan Masood’s turbulent stint at the helm. The announcement came on Sunday during a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where the national selection committee unveiled the squads for Pakistan’s upcoming tours of the West Indies and England. Babar, who previously led the Test side between 2020 and 2023, now returns for his third stint as skipper, a decision the selectors say was reached unanimously.
Masood’s removal comes on the back of a dismal run of results. Under his leadership, Pakistan lost 12 of 16 Test matches, a losing streak that culminated in a 2-0 series defeat to Bangladesh in May and left the side languishing at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship table. Chief selector Aqib Javed, addressing reporters after the announcement, explained that the committee had thoroughly weighed every option before landing on Babar as the only recommendation on the table. He pointed to a pattern of close matches slipping away under Masood, citing the losses against South Africa in Centurion and at home to the West Indies in Multan as key moments where the captaincy failed to deliver.
Despite the change at the top, Masood has retained his place in the 16-man squad as a player. Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who sits alongside Javed on the selection panel, publicly backed the decision, noting that Babar’s recent form including his standout run as the leading scorer in PSL 11 reinforces his value to the side across all formats.
Babar’s first assignment in his new role will be a two-Test series against the West Indies, starting July 25 in Tarouba, Trinidad, followed by the second Test in Port of Spain from August 2. Pakistan will then travel to England for a three-match series, opening at Headingley on August 19, before matches at Lord’s and Edgbaston in the following weeks. The selectors also handed a maiden call-up to 20-year-old pacer Ubaid Shah, younger brother of Naseem Shah, while established quicks Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali were left out following the Bangladesh series.
The move marks the latest twist in Pakistan cricket’s long-running captaincy merry-go-round, with the selectors clearly hoping that Babar’s experience and calm can arrest a slide that has left the team fighting to salvage its position in the current World Test Championship cycle. Whether this second chance produces a different result on the field will become clear soon enough, with the Caribbean tour just weeks away.
