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The Pakistan National Cricket Team has not been in their best form in the Test format. They were outplayed in England and will be up against Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series starting in early November. Ahead of the series, they have announced the squad, with Babar Azam remaining captain of the side.
Pakistan is sitting at the bottom of the table in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 table. This is a crucial series for Babar Azam and his team as they look to find their way back to winning games, as the team has just won one game out of the last five matches they have played in this format.
Babar Azam set to lead Pakistan against Sri Lanka
Babar Azam will be leading the side. Despite the humiliation in England, the side did well under him at home and away from home, as they won against West Indies away. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 13-member squad and has mentioned that two cricketers will join the squad post the three-day game.
Babar has been criticised for not being up to the mark in England with the bat nor with his leadership. But under him, the team did well in the West Indies, finding their first win after three years away from home. He will surely look to find a way to get the side into their very best and win the series against the Island Nation.
Salman Ali Agha returns to the squad
Apart from that, there has been a surprising addition to the squad as Salman Ali Agha, who led the side in Babar's absence in England in the first Test, was dropped from the 2nd Test and was sent back home alongside other players and coaching staff ahead of the 3rd Test, which caused turmoil and is now back in the squad.
Salman Ali Agha came back to Pakistan, and he responded in domestic cricket by smashing an unbeaten 300 for Kingsmen Academy in September 2026. Then he added another century later in the month, completing five domestic matches to fix his batting alignment, technical issues, and touch. Later on in the ongoing Tri-series, he also played a superb knock of 107 runs against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan to play warm-up game ahead of Test series
Ahead of the Test series, the Men in Green will play a three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka from 4-6 November at the Islamabad Club. The selectors will include two pacers from the Patron’s squad in the Test squad after the conclusion of the warm-up game.
Mohammad Taha, who has been the leading run-scorer in the President’s Trophy Grade-I first-class, ended with 730 runs across seven matches with the help of three centuries, has also been added to the squad as he will look to get his first chance for the Men in Green.
Pakistan squad for two Test matches vs Sri Lanka: Babar Azam (C), Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (WK), Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Razaullah, Saad Baig (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas, Saud Shakeel.
