Pakistan sweats over Babar Azam’s injury ahead of Lord’s Test

Pakistan is sweating over the availability of skipper Babar Azam for the second Test against England at Lord’s beginning on Thursday.

A source close to the team said on Tuesday that Babar was suffering from a finger injury, and the swelling made it difficult for him to grip the bat properly. Babar first got hit on the fingers while batting in the second Test against the West Indies before the tour to England.

His injury worsened when he decided to bat a few overs in a three-day practice game against the Counties XI in Kent, where he retired after being hit again on the same finger. He missed the opening Test at Leeds, which Pakistan lost by an innings and 103 runs inside three days because of the injury, and Salman Ali Agha led the side.

“The team management will see if Babar is comfortable batting in the nets tomorrow, but it is a sort of injury where the final decision must come from the player himself,” the source said.

The Pakistan team management is considering playing both their spinners, Ali Usman and Sajid Khan, in the Lord’s Test, as the feeling is the pitch will be sluggish and could assist the slow bowlers. With Pakistan’s three-pronged pace attack of Muhammad Abbas, Khurrum Shehzad, and Muhammad Ali delivering a below-par performance in the first Test, the source said Babar and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed are inclined to rely on the spinners to level the series.