Babar Azam set to miss first Test against Bangladesh with knee injury

Babar Azam is set to miss the first Test against Bangladesh after being ruled out due to a knee injury. The game is set to get underway at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 8.

The Pakistan batter had seemed to pick up form, as he was the leading run-scorer in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, leading his team, Peshawar Zalmi, to their first title since 2017. He scored 588 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 145.90.

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the statement by the team management does not clarify whether he is set to miss just the first Test or the entire series. It was mentioned that his development was being tracked by the team management, after which a decision would be made.

Babar arrived in Bangladesh on Monday, May 4, hours after his team’s victory in the PSL final on May 3 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. He trained for two days with the side without apparent discomfort, but woke up with pain in his left knee on the morning of Thursday, May 7. The medical team opted to rule him out for the first Test.

This series is part of Pakistan’s World Test Championship cycle and is their first away series of the cycle. They have played two Tests so far, at home against South Africa. They won one and lost the other. Pakistan and Bangladesh last played a Test series in 2024 in Pakistan, which Bangladesh won 2-0.

The squad for the series sees four uncapped players – Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, and Ghazi Ghori in the 15-member unit. Pakistan also have a new-look backroom staff for the series, lead by newly-appointed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Pakistan squad for Test series vs Bangladesh

Shan Masood (capt), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi