Babar Azam's batting spot confirmed for the Test series against Bangladesh

Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam's batting spot has been confirmed for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh. According to Geo News, Babar will be batting at the No. 4 spot for Pakistan in the upcoming Tests.

Babar usually bats at No. 3 in ODI cricket. He has insane numbers in that position and is regarded as one of the top ODI batters in the world currently. In T20I cricket, he has mostly opened the innings but has also shifted himself down to No. 3 on some occasions.

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Babar Azam's batting spot confirmed for the Test series

Babar hasn't always batted at No. 4 in Test cricket. The 29-year-old has also batted at No. 3 on several occasions. In 2022, he played at No. 3 during Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka.

In the same year, Babar moved himself up to No. 3 again during Pakistan's home Test series against England as he scored a hundred in the first Test.

However, Azhar Ali was back in the team for the third Test and Babar went back to No. 4. Batting at No. 3 did not quite affect his performances as he looked fluent and comfortable at the crease in the second Test.

During Pakistan's last Test series against Australia, Babar batted at No. 4 in all the Tests, although, he had a poor series with the bat. He scored 126 runs in three Tests at an average of 21 without any fifty to his name.

Shan Masood batting position confirmed; Muhammad Huraira to make Test debut

According to the sources, Pakistan skipper Shan Masood will continue to bat at No. 3. Masood played as an opener in the initial years of his Test career but has been given the No. 3 spot since the retirement of Azhar Ali.

The left-hander was Pakistan's top run-scorer in the last Test series against Australia with 181 runs in three matches at an average of 28. He scored two fifties in the series.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Shafique is also likely to keep his place as an opener. Shafique is a technically sound batter as can score big runs and grind the opposition down. He is equally good against pace and spin bowling.

Shafique is most likely to open with Mohammad Huraira, who is a strong candidate to make his international debut in the first Test against Bangladesh.

Pakistan to field a strong pace attack

Pakistan's bowling line-up looks quite settled at the moment. With just one spinner in the squad, they are likely to rely on their fast bowlers to provide them the breakthroughs.

The sources confirmed to Geo News that Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mir Hamza, and Naseem Shah will be the pace bowlers for the upcoming Test match while Abrar Ahmed will be the lone specialist spinner in the Playing XI.

The first Test of the series will be played from August 21-25 in Rawalpindi while the second Test will be played from August 30-September 3 in Karachi.

The PCB recently confirmed that no spectators will be allowed in the second Test due to the ongoing renovations in the stadium.

The series will be Jason Gillespie's first assignment as Pakistan's Test coach. After this series, Pakistan will play a three-match Test series against England at home.