Babar Azam Is Back as Pakistan Test Captain. Now What?
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has approved Babar Azam’s appointment as Pakistan’s Test captain. The official announcement is expected on July 4 or July 7. Pakistan face West Indies on July 25.
This is Babar’s third stint in a top leadership role for Pakistan in three years. His Test captaincy record of 10 wins from 20 matches and a 50 percent win rate is genuinely the strongest of any current Pakistani captain candidate. The circumstances of his return are not as clean as that number suggests.
Babar Azam’s Captaincy Timeline
| Year | Role | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-23 | All-format Captain | Resigned after ODI WC exit |
| Mar 2024 | White-ball Captain | Resigned Oct 2024 |
| Jul 2026 | Test Captain | Appointment Pending |
Three spells. Three different contexts. The same man.
Babar Azam’s Test Captaincy Record: Wins, Losses and Success Rate
Babar led Pakistan in 20 Tests between 2020 and 2023.
| Statistic | Figure |
|---|---|
| Tests as Captain | 20 |
| Won | 10 |
| Lost | 6 |
| Drawn | 4 |
| Win Percentage | 50% |
That 50 percent win rate makes him Pakistan’s second-best Test captain after Misbah-ul-Haq in the modern era.
Under Babar, Pakistan beat India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, reached the 2022 T20 World Cup final, and recorded series wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and West Indies in Tests.
He resigned in October 2023 when Pakistan’s ODI World Cup campaign ended in a group-stage exit. The resignation covered all formats.
Within five months, PCB brought him back as white-ball captain in March 2024. He resigned from that in October 2024.
He has now been offered the Test captaincy nine months after his second resignation.
How PSL 2026 Changed the Selection Debate
Babar Azam had not played international cricket since late 2024 when the PSL 2026 season began. What followed removed any serious argument about his batting form.
He scored 588 runs in 11 innings at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.90, including two centuries and three half-centuries.
He equalled the record for most runs in a single PSL season and became only the second batter to score two centuries in one edition.
He led Peshawar Zalmi to the PSL title, his first as captain of any franchise.
That run came against international bowlers in a high-pressure domestic tournament. It is the evidence PCB’s board needed to override the selectors who reportedly did not list him as their first choice for the Test captaincy.
Why PCB Overruled the Selectors
Babar was not the first choice of Pakistan’s selectors. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi approved the appointment after the selectors had gone through other options. That reversal, a chairman overriding a selection panel, is exactly the kind of non-transparent decision-making the PCB’s new 15-point data-driven framework was supposed to eliminate.
It is also worth noting that this is the third time in three years that PCB has handed Babar a captaincy rather than building toward a new long-term leader from within.
Imam-ul-Haq publicly expressed interest at the NCA camp just two weeks ago.
Saud Shakeel, the vice-captain, is injured but had been considered. The board went back to a familiar name instead of committing to a succession plan.
The Biggest Challenges Waiting for Babar Azam
WTC position. Pakistan sit eight with 8.33 percent points, one win from four Tests in the 2025-27 cycle. The points penalty from the Bangladesh over-rate breach reduced their total further. Every remaining match matters disproportionately.
West Indies first. Two Tests in Trinidad starting July 25, conditions that suit pace bowling in heat and humidity. Pakistan’s batting lineup without Saud Shakeel and a fit Rizwan is shorter than it looks on paper.
England second. Three Tests at Headingley, Lord’s and Edgbaston starting August 19. England lost to New Zealand in the current series but remain a difficult home proposition. Pakistan’s leg-spin gap, no Yasir Shah equivalent in the current camp, becomes a tactical problem on late-summer English pitches that Babar will have to manage.
Team unity. Reports from inside the camp suggest not all players were comfortable with how the Shan Masood captaincy ended. Bringing Babar back, a player who resigned twice, into a dressing room that has been through significant churn requires relationship management as much as tactical leadership.
The Players Whose Futures Now Depend on This Decision
Hassan Ali: Previously out of favour under Masood’s tenure. If Babar’s return signals a reset to familiar names, Ali could benefit. His relationship with Babar from the 2021 period is established.
Shadab Khan: Still at Lancashire playing county cricket. Babar and Shadab played together through the most successful period of Pakistan’s recent white-ball cricket. Whether Shadab commits to Test cricket remains unresolved, but Babar’s arrival changes the political calculations inside the squad.
Fakhar Zaman: A white-ball specialist who has drifted in and out of Test consideration. Babar’s leadership style historically gave Fakhar more opportunity than other captains did.
Saud Shakeel: Injured, was vice-captain, and was considered a genuine succession candidate. His recovery and return to form will determine whether he becomes Babar’s deputy or his rival over the next WTC cycle.
Players who may face pressure: Any batter who underperformed under Masood without strong numbers to defend could face scrutiny if Babar arrives with a mandate to reset the lineup. PCB’s new domestic cricket participation requirement means no name, however senior, is automatically safe.
Should Babar Accept the Captaincy?
The honest answer depends on what you believe Pakistan cricket actually needs right now.
If the priority is winning Tests in the next 12 months, Babar’s record is the best available. His 50 percent win rate in the format is not a soft number, it includes wins against England, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in conditions that were not always favourable.
If the priority is building sustainable Test cricket for 2027 and beyond, handing the captaincy back to a player who has resigned twice, who was not the selectors’ first choice, and who has been away from international cricket for seven months, delays the succession question rather than answering it.
Both things can be true. Pakistan can win Tests under Babar in 2026 and still need a real succession plan for 2027. The second part requires a decision PCB has not made yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Babar Azam Pakistan’s new Test captain? PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has approved Babar Azam’s appointment as Pakistan’s Test captain. The official announcement is expected on July 4 or July 7, 2026. Pakistan’s next Test is against West Indies on July 25 in Trinidad.
What is Babar Azam’s Test captaincy record? Babar Azam led Pakistan in 20 Tests between 2020 and 2023, winning 10, losing 6 and drawing 4. His win percentage of 50 percent is the second-best for any Pakistan Test captain in the modern era, behind Misbah-ul-Haq.
Why did Babar Azam resign from the Pakistan captaincy before? Babar Azam resigned from the all-format captaincy in October 2023 after Pakistan’s group-stage exit at the ODI World Cup. He was reappointed as white-ball captain in March 2024 and resigned again in October 2024. His Test appointment in 2026 is his third stint in a leadership role.
Was Babar Azam the selectors’ first choice for Test captain in 2026? No. Reports confirmed that Babar Azam was not the first choice of Pakistan’s selection committee for the Test captaincy. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi approved the appointment after selectors had considered other options. The final decision overrode the selectors’ initial preference.
What is Pakistan’s WTC position under their new captain? Pakistan sit eight in the 2025-27 World Test Championship with 4 points from 4 matches, a percentage of 8.33. The total includes an eight-point deduction for slow over-rate in the Bangladesh series. Pakistan face West Indies and England in seven Tests across July, August and September 2026.
