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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed Shan Masood as the Test captain and given the job back to Babar Azam. This will be Babar Azam's second stint as Pakistan's Test captain.
The PCB announced the leadership change when Pakistan named their squads for the two-match Test series against the West Indies as well as for the three-match Test series in England.
Shan Masood's poor captaincy record ends his tenure
Shan Masood's captaincy came to an end after a very disappointing record. He led Pakistan in 16 Test matches, but the team lost 12 of them and won only four. This was one of the worst in Pakistan’s Test history. No captain had ever lost 12 of his first 16 Test matches.
Under Masood’s captaincy, Pakistan also suffered seven straight Test defeats, which equals the team's longest losing streak in the format. Those disappointing poor results forced the PCB to bring one of their most successful Test captains, Babar Azam, back into the leadership regime.
Misbah-ul-Haq backs Babar Azam after captaincy return
Soon after Babar Azam was named Test captain again, former Pakistan captain and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq came out in support of the star batter. Misbah believes Babar is still one of Pakistan's most important players and should continue to play in all three formats.
He pointed out that many had questioned Babar's place in Pakistan's T20I team because of his form and strike rate. But Misbah feels Babar answered all those doubts with his performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026.
He led Peshawar Zalmi to their second PSL title and finished as the highest run-scorer with 588 runs at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.91.
Babar Azam's stunning PSL 2026 season strengthened his case
The legendary batter has noted that Babar showed in the PSL that he is still a match-winner in T20 cricket. He believes it is now up to the Pakistan cricket team management to decide how they want to use him in the playing XI.
Misbah-ul-Haq on Babar Azam: “There were question marks over Babar's selection for the T20 team. However, the way he performed in the PSL has proved that he still has value in the shortest format. It depends on how the coaches see him fitting into the Pakistan team's combination.”
Misbah-ul-Haq says Babar Azam is valuable in every format
Misbah also said Babar's quality should not be judged only by T20 cricket. He pointed out that Babar has already proved himself in ODI cricket and has also played many important innings in Test cricket. However, the legendary batter believes Babar can still improve further in the longest format.
He further added, “Babar has value in all three formats. He is a player who has established himself in ODIs, and he has also proved himself in Test cricket, although he needs to improve his performances a bit further. His performances in T20 cricket are there for everyone to see.”
The former Pakistan captain also praised Babar's batting skills. He feels Babar is Pakistan's best batter when it comes to technique and consistency. Misbah signed off by saying, “In my opinion, he is still a very useful player, and you can use him in all three formats. Technically and in terms of consistency, he is the best player.”
