Pakistan Test Squad 2026: Babar Back, Full Analysis and What Changed

Pakistan cricket has not changed. The loop has restarted.

Pakistan Test Cricket Full Squad

16-member squad for West Indies & England:

Added for England only: Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness clearance)

Four uncapped players: Ali Usman, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Ubaid Shah, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori

South Africa vs New Zealand Heading Into the Semi-Final

Ten moves. 963 days. Pakistan changed Test captain once. Every other format changed multiple times. The question nobody at the press conference answered directly was: what is different this time that makes Pakistan confident the result will change.

Why Shan Masood Was Removed

Masood led Pakistan in 16 Tests, suffering 12 defeats and becoming the first captain in Test history to lose 12 of his first 16 matches in charge.

He also became the first Pakistan captain to lose a Test series to Bangladesh on two separate occasions. Pakistan finished at the bottom of the 2023-25 World Test Championship standings after winning just one of seven series under his leadership.

One series win from seven attempts. The home Test series victory against England in 2024 effectively prolonged his tenure for another eight months.

Aqib Javed stated that while Shan had performed well individually, the team failed to achieve the results expected under his captaincy.

Masood averaged 34 with the bat as captain, an improvement on his pre-captaincy numbers, and scored two Test centuries during the period. Ultimately, it was Pakistan’s overall record, rather than his personal performances, that led to the change in leadership.

Babar’s Test Captaincy Record: The Case For and Against

As Test captain previously (2020-2023):

Since losing the captaincy (under Masood’s tenure):

Babar Azam has endured a lean run in Test cricket, averaging just over 27 since Shan Masood replaced him as captain.

Misbah-ul-Haq, a member of the selection panel, said Babar can be utilised across all formats and stressed that the team needs to back him with confidence.

The statistics present a strong case for Babar as Pakistan’s Test captain. However, they also raise concerns about his recent batting form in the longest format.

During his previous stint as captain, Babar averaged more than 50 with the bat, making it one of the most productive periods of his Test career. Whether a return to leadership helps him rediscover that level or adds further pressure will depend on the version of Babar that takes the field in Trinidad.

Pakistan Test Squad Selection Analysis

Aamir Jamal’s return: Jamal has returned to the Test squad for the first time since featuring against South Africa in 2025. His all-round value gives Pakistan a lower-middle-order option with the bat that Faheem Ashraf previously provided. Ashraf is not in the squad.

Ali Usman over Noman Ali: Left-arm spin is in but the experienced Noman Ali is out again, having been omitted from the Bangladesh tour too. Ali Usman is uncapped. Pakistan are going into two overseas Test series with an uncapped left-arm spinner as their primary slow left-arm option. That is either smart development planning or an unnecessary risk.

Noman Ali’s absence: The most consistent spinner Pakistan had in the 2023-25 WTC cycle is not in either squad. No explanation was provided at the press conference.

Ubaid Shah included: Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi need to play more first-class cricket to improve their red-ball game, and neither bowler has looked at his best with the red ball in recent outings. Ubaid, the younger brother of Naseem Shah, comes in as a fresh pace option for long spells in Caribbean heat. His inclusion over more experienced names reflects a deliberate decision to look at the next generation of fast bowlers.

Mohammad Abbas must play in England: His ability to swing the old ball in English conditions is the most specific skill match in this squad. Three Tests at Headingley, Lord’s and Edgbaston should mean Abbas plays all three.

Saud Shakeel — fitness subject question: The vice-captain’s inclusion for England only, subject to clearance, means Pakistan go into the West Indies series without their number five. Azan Awais, Awais Zafar and Abdullah Fazal fill that space. Whether that batting depth is sufficient against West Indies pace in Trinidad heat will become clear quickly.

Kamran Ghulam missing: He was called into the red-ball camp as cover for Saud Shakeel. He was not selected for either tour. He scored a century on his Test debut against Australia in 2022 and spent four years out of the system before being recalled for the camp. He is out again.

Why Fans Are Not Happy and Why That Is Valid

Pakistani cricket supporters have watched the captaincy change eleven times across formats since 2023. The legitimate frustration is not with Babar as a cricketer.

It is with a board that has no coherent succession plan, no transparent selection process and no public explanation for decisions that contradict what was said six months earlier.

Rashid Latif said Babar has been humiliated two or three times already. Kamran Akmal said he does not understand why Babar would accept a captaincy offered after everything he was put through, and compared it unfavourably to Younis Khan, who famously said he would spit on a captaincy offered back to him after his initial removal.

The genuine question fans are asking is not whether Babar is good enough. He is. It is whether PCB has fixed any of the structural problems that caused him to resign, be dropped, be recalled, resign again, and now be reappointed, without any public indication that the conditions inside Pakistan cricket are better than they were in 2023.

The Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Pakistan’s Test captain for West Indies and England 2026? Babar Azam was named Pakistan’s Test captain for both the West Indies and England tours on July 5, 2026. The announcement was made at a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore by the national selection committee including Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq.

Why was Shan Masood removed as Pakistan’s Test captain? Shan Masood was removed as Test captain after losing 12 of his 16 Tests as captain, the worst record for any Pakistan captain in that position. He became the first Pakistan captain to lose a Test series to Bangladesh twice. Pakistan won just one of seven Test series under his leadership.

Who are the uncapped players in Pakistan’s Test squad 2026? Four uncapped players are in Pakistan’s Test squads for the West Indies and England tours: left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori.

Is Saud Shakeel in Pakistan’s Test squad for 2026? Saud Shakeel has been named in the 17-member squad for the England Test series, subject to fitness clearance. He is not in the 16-member squad for the West Indies series due to his ongoing injury. His participation in the England tour depends on passing a fitness test before the series begins.

How many times has Babar Azam been Pakistan’s captain? Babar Azam served as all-format Pakistan captain from 2020 to 2023. He was reappointed as T20I captain in March 2024, then as ODI captain in September 2024, before resigning from the white-ball captaincy in October 2024. His appointment as Test captain in July 2026 is his third distinct stint in a leadership role for Pakistan.