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Babar Azam has returned officially as the Test format captain of the Pakistan National Cricket Team. The match against West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago will mark his return as the captain of the team in this format on Saturday, July 25.
Pakistan cricket team is currently in the West Indies for a 2-match Test series, which is a part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Ahead of the match against the West Indies, Babar Azam said that he is not under pressure but has been feeling confident, as the team management showed their trust again in him by appointing him as the team's captain in the longest format of the game.
I am confident: Babar Azam, ahead of West Indies vs Pakistan 1st Test
Before the first of the two-match Test series against West Indies, Babar Azam was asked what his tactics would be to deliver a match-winning performance from the team.
In response, the experienced batter mentioned that only through performance could Pakistan win the match, which matters most to him. From his previous experience as the Pakistan cricket team captain, Babar was expected to make better decisions that would be best for the team.
"The pressure is not like that. I am confident, and the responsibility that I have got again, I am very confident about that. The main thing is that the performance that you have to take from the players, Pakistan wins from that performance, that matters more to me," Babar told Cricinfo.
"My last experience as a captain, I have learnt a lot from that, and I will try to make it better. We will take better decisions, which are better for Pakistan", he added.
🎙️ Babar Azam on returning as Pakistan’s Test captain pic.twitter.com/hy0vZZNYTx
— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) July 25, 2026
Babar Azam has a decent track record as Pakistan captain in Test
Babar was previously appointed captain in 2021 to lead only 20 matches before being dropped. However, his first stint as the national team captain in the Test was decent, winning 10 matches, losing six, and drawing four games.
Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka for a couple of games in 2023 was his last match as the captain of Pakistan in his first stint. Pakistan won the away series 2-0, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors dropped him from the role.
He took over the leadership role from Shan Masood, under whose captaincy the team team got to lose 12 out of 16 Tests during the 30-month period.
Pakistan is 9th in 9-team World Test Championship
Currently, the Pakistan cricket team is at the bottommost position of the World Test Championship points table, after West Indies. So far, they have played 4 matches in the ongoing cycle of the championship and have 4 points, while the table topper, Australia, has 84 points in 8 games. West Indies is ranked 8th in the 9-team tournament, a step over Pakistan, with 18 points in 10 matches.
As there is still a long way to go in the title race, Pakistan can still hope to make a strong comeback in the points table. If they are somehow able to defeat West Indies in both of the matches with Babar Azam as the captain, then they can make progress.
