Pakistan Captain Babar Azam Develops Fever Test Team Drama England

Just a month after he was reinstated as Test captain, replacing Shan Masood, Babar has walked into a quagmire in England, with indifferent form and off-field issues now compounded by a rising body temperature.

Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema confirmed to Geo News that while Babar was suffering from fever, he is expected to be deemed fit with a week’s turnaround for the next Test, starting September 9.

The development comes after a major overhaul within the Pakistan management since the Lord’s defeat last Saturday. Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad have all been released, alongside head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul.

New Zealander Mike Hesson, already Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, will take over the Test side for the rest of the tour, with Ashley Noffke as his bowling coach. Five uncapped players have been added, along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, whose combined Test experience runs to 10 matches.

Chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has also resigned from Pakistan’s selection committee, a day after the axing spree, and stepped down as batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy too.

Skipper Babar scored only 14 runs in two innings during Pakistan’s dismal 194-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s last week. The 31-year-old had missed the series opener that Pakistan lost by an innings and 104 runs with Salman Agha stepping up as captain in his absence.

Pakistan have now last 10 of their last 11 away Tests, reeling at the bottom spot in the ICC World Test Championship standings with two wins and six losses and a dismisal 16.67 points percentage.

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