Big setback for Pakistan ahead of BAN vs PAK first Test in Dhaka, Babar Azam to miss out due to knee injury - Report

Babar has been all but a fixture in the Test side for the better part of a decade. He was dropped for a pair of Tests against England in late 2024, but found himself back in the side soon after. Friday's game is the first away Test match Babar will miss since January 2021.In a major setback, Babar Azam has been ruled out of Pakistan's first Test against Bangladesh, which starts on May 8 in Dhaka.

Pakistan are in Bangladesh to play two Tests as a part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. Babar arrived in Bangladesh on May 4, just hours after leading Peshawar Zalmi to a Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, beating Hyderabad Kingsmen in the summit clash.

According to a ESPNcricinfo report, Babar trained for two days in Dhaka without any discomfort. Surprisingly, the right-handed batter woke up on Thursday morning with a pain on his left knee. Upon consultation with the PCB medical team, the management decided to rule him out of first Test.

The injury comes as a big blow to Pakistan as Babar was coming on the back of a tremendous form with the bat. Besides lifting the PSL 2026 title as a captain, he had also finished as the tournament's highest run-getter with 588 runs in 11 games, which included two hundreds.

How big blow Babar Azam's injury for Pakistan?

Babar's injury leaves a significant blow in the Pakistan batting order with Shan Masood and Co forced to fill the void with a debutant. While Imam-ul-Haq and Masood will open the innings, either Azam Awais or Abdullah Fazal will come in for Babar at No.3. Notably, Awais and Fazal are yet to make their debuts for Pakistan.

There is also a possibility that both might feature in the playing XI. There are also chances of Mohammad Rizwan or Saud Shakeel moving up the order and make way for a seam-bowling allrounder in Amad Butt. Babar has never been out of the Test side in recent times. He had missed a couple of Tests against England in 2024, but returned soon after. This will be the first time Babar will miss an away Test since January 2021.

Bangladesh vs Pakistan Test squads

Bangladesh squad for 1st Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice Captain), Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Tanzid Hasan, Amite Hasan

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), 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 and Shaheen Shah Afridi.