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The England vs Pakistan first Test match concluded in a one-way fashion as the Three Lions had a thumping win by an innings and 103 runs over the Men in Green at Headingley, in Leeds. After the match, stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha, who replaced regular captain Babar Azam in the first game, shared an update on the latter’s participation.
This is a massive victory for the side in terms of the performance they had in the last few months in the traditional format of the game. England have lost the last three series they have played against Australia (loss), India (draw) and New Zealand (loss). Also, the last time Pakistan won a Test match at Leeds was when Imran Khan was captain.
"Hopefully Babar comes back"- Salman Ali Agha provides update on Babar Azam's comeback in 2nd Test
Salman Ali Agha, while speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, was asked about the changes in the side ahead of the Lord’s Test match. He replied that the management will sit and discuss and also provided an update on Babar’s return to the side, which will provide them a big boost in the second Test match.
Babar Azam was ruled out of the first Test match after he sustained a finger injury during the second Test match against West Indies. However, while recovering, he was struck in the same place during the warm-up match against the Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham, which had made him sit out the first game.
Salman Ali Agha stated (as quoted by Cricbuzz), "(On possible changes for the second Test and Babar Azam's return) Well, we will sit down, we'll go to London and sit down and hopefully Babar comes back and that will be a big boost for us."
Babar Azam Test captaincy record unmatched
Pakistan are still waiting for an away Test win under any captain other than Babar Azam since 2021, as they have won 9 games under Babar and 0 under all other skippers. The last away win also came when Babar was the skipper in the second Test against the Windies.
Babar Azam recently created history during the second Test match against the Windies as he became the third captain to lead the Men in Green in 150 Test matches across formats, with only Imran Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq in front of him. This was a historic milestone for the veteran batter, who was re-appointed as the Test captain after the side’s poor performance.
"I think we need to...": Salman Ali Agha slams batters after failure
Apart from providing an update, the 31-year-old Salman Agha stated that it is difficult to play against England as the players need to be more consistent and also cited that the batters need to be patient and play the ball as late as possible, as the conditions are more challenging than the subcontinent.
"(On the batting plans after Pakistan's first-innings struggles) I think we need to, when it comes to England, you have to be consistent enough. You need to make sure you play late and you be ready on every single ball because it's such a challenging place when you come from Asian conditions. But yeah, we are good enough batters and I think we need not replicate the mistakes we have done and we need to come back stronger."
He also credited Abdullah Shafique, who was Pakistan's best batter in the first innings, scoring 61 runs. He said, And the way Abdullah batted, I think it's outstanding as well in first innings. He's been batting well since his comeback, so hopefully he can continue as well."
