Babar Azam gets major call-up from PCB days ahead of Asia Cup 2025
Published - 06 Sep 2025, 04:53 PM | Updated - 06 Sep 2025, 05:41 PM
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Babar Azam is set to return to red-ball action as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called the former national cricket team captain up for an intensive Test training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.
The training camp is all set to begin on Tuesday, September 9, and will run until September 28, just ahead of Pakistan’s much-awaited home Test series against South Africa.
PCB calls Babar Azam and 10 others for an intensive red-ball training camp
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that 11 players have been selected for this special camp, with Babar Azam leading the group. He will train under interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood, who will be joined by the NCA’s experienced coaching and support staff.
The selected Pakistani players for the upcoming Test training camp include Abdullah Shafique, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Salman, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan, and Shamyl Hussain.
Two big names missing from the camp are Pakistan’s ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah, who were unavailable for the selection as they are currently busy with their Caribbean Premier League 2025 (CPL 2025) commitments in the Caribbean Islands.
Players will also take part in scenario-based matches: PCB
The PCB stated in an official media release on September 6: “The camp has been designed to provide players with support to work on their skills, as well as to assess fitness ahead of a busy red-ball international and domestic season. The players selected are those not involved in the ongoing Hanif Mohammad Trophy (four-day). In the 20-day camp, the players will train at the National Cricket Academy and will also take part in scenario-based matches.”
This training camp is not just about preparation for Babar Azam but also about proving a point after being sidelined from the T20I team and a long, rough patch in ODI and Test cricket. Babar Azam was recently overlooked for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which starts on the same day the camp will begin.
Babar last played a Test earlier this year against the West Indies in Multan, where he scored just 1 and 31 in a shocking 120-run defeat. The 30-year-old has so far played 59 Tests for Pakistan since making his debut in 2016. He has 4235 test runs to his name at an average of over 42.
Read Also: Pakistan Cricket Board pulls out its team because of India
Pakistan’s Test season kicks off with the South Africa series
Well, Pakistan’s Test season will begin with the blockbuster home series against South Africa, with the first Test set to be played in Lahore from October 12 and the second Test in Rawalpindi from October 20. These two matches against South Africa are very crucial for Pakistan, as this series will mark the beginning of their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle.
After the two-match Test series, the focus will shift to white-ball cricket. Pakistan and South Africa will play three T20Is on October 28, 31, and November 1.
The T20I series opener will be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the rest of the two matches will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Right after the T20Is, both teams will play three ODIs on November 4, 6, and 8 at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
Read Also: India vs Pakistan Asia Cup match to be cancelled? BCCI issues official statement amid criticism
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