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Delhi: Pakistan cricket team has suffered a big setback just before the first test match against England. The team's star batsman and captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test to be held at Headingley from August 19 due to injury. In his place, Salman Aga will take over the captaincy of Pakistan's Test team. This will be the first time that Salman Aga will be seen leading Pakistan in Test cricket.

Babar out of first test against England

Let us tell you that Babar got injured in his right hand during the practice match played in Beckenham last week. Earlier, during the second Test against West Indies in the beginning of August, he was also hit on the hand by the ball. Due to not being able to fully recover from the injury, Babar will not be able to play the first Test against England.

The Pakistan team hopes that Babar can be fit for the second Test to be held at Lord's next week. However, there is no definite information yet on their availability.

Big responsibility in front of Salman Aga along with captaincy

In the absence of Babar, a big responsibility of the Pakistan team will be on the shoulders of Salman Aga. 32-year-old Salman has played 27 test matches and is also captaining Pakistan's T20 team from 2024.

Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed on Tuesday that Salman will take charge of the team in the first Test. For them, this opportunity is not only special but also a big challenge, because the England team is considered very strong in its home conditions.

The biggest challenge for Salman will be to handle the team without Babar. Babar's presence has been very important for Pakistan not only in terms of batting but also in the dressing room.

Captain changed again after West Indies series

Pakistan made Babar Azam the captain again before the Test series against West Indies. Before this, the team had to struggle continuously under the captaincy of Shan Masood and Babar himself could not perform as expected with the bat. Now injury has once again ruled Babar out of the team. In such a situation, the tour of England is not going to be easy for Pakistan.

Pakistan's squad for the series against England:

Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Saud Shakeel (fitness dependent), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah