LAHORE: Babar Azam has been appointed as the captain of the Pakistan Test team for the upcoming tours of the West Indies and England.
The 16-member squad was announced by selection committee member Aaqib Javed, who was accompanied by Asad Shafiq and former captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
The selected squad features Babar Azam as captain, alongside Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Azaan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Salman Ali Agha, Ghazi Ghouri, Mohammad Rizwan, Sajid Khan, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Ubaid Shah, Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad. Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel missed out on selection due to ongoing fitness issues.
Pakistan will begin the tour in the West Indies, starting with a warm-up match in Tarouba on July 18, before facing the hosts in the first Test match from July 25 to 29 at the same venue.
Speaking at the announcement, Aaqib Javed mentioned that he and Asad Shafiq have served on the selection committee for 18 months, while Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed joined 6 months ago.
He highlighted that player performances are carefully evaluated based on the specific demands of each of the three formats.
