Babar Azam Backs Young Pakistan Squad to Fight Back Against Sri Lanka
Pakistan’s rebuilt Test squad takes on Sri Lanka in the first of two matches after the heavy loss in England.
Babar Azam – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Babar Azam’s Pakistan side begins a new chapter on Monday, when the first Test against Sri Lanka gets under way in Rawalpindi. The team is eager to leave behind its heavy defeat in England.
This is the first series for Pakistan since that 3-0 whitewash. Seven players were sent home after the second Test of that tour, and the fallout has been big.
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were sacked in September. White-ball coach Mike Hesson has now joined the Test set-up.
The squad looks very different this time. Only Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal have returned from the group of seven sent home. Five of the players who featured in the final Test at Edgbaston have been dropped.
Some big names are missing. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, former captain Shan Masood, and spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali were all left out.
Several fresh faces have been included for the first time. The batters are Mohammad Taha, Saad Baig, Tayyab Arif and Sameer Minhas. Pace bowlers Saqib Khan and Ali Shabbir complete the list of newcomers.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s press conference at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka
#PAKvSL | #CricketKaJashan https://t.co/dxWM2BYNEN
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) November 8, 2026
Azam said the plan to back young talent began during the England series. “I am ready to fight with these young players,” he said on Sunday.
The captain also wants to find his best batting form again. He has gone 40 Test innings without a century. His last hundred came against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022.
He believes more match time will help. “I have played a few domestic matches and think that the more I play I will improve, so I am confident,” said Azam, who was reappointed captain in July.
The series is part of the fourth World Test Championship cycle. Pakistan sit ninth and last in the table, while Sri Lanka are seventh. The second Test starts in Lahore on November 17.
Sri Lanka are also going through a reset. Kusal Mendis took over the Test captaincy from Dhananjaya de Silva last month.
“It’s exciting, and I am happy to lead the side,” Mendis said. He added that his experienced batting line-up is ready for the challenge.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.