'90 per cent fit': Babar Azam provides positive update on his fitness ahead of 2nd Test at Lord's

'90 per cent fit': Babar Azam provides positive update on his fitness ahead of 2nd Test at Lord's originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

• Babar Azam said he is 90 per cent fit ahead of the second Test at Lord's against England.
• The Pakistan captain missed the Headingley opener with a finger injury.
• He completed a full batting session in the nets on Tuesday.

Pakistan's hopes of salvaging something from this series rest heavily on the man who watched the first Test from the sidelines, and Babar Azam has now given the clearest indication yet that he will take the field at Lord's on Thursday.

The captain sat out the Headingley opener after aggravating a finger problem first picked up in the West Indies. Struck on the same hand by Hampshire quick Manny Lumsden during the warm-up fixture at Beckenham, he retired hurt on five and was withdrawn as a precaution by the PCB medical staff.

What followed was a total demolition by the hosts as Pakistan were dismissed twice inside 86 overs in Azam's absence. It was their fifth-fewest across two completed innings, and they lost by an innings and 103 runs under stand-in skipper Salman Ali Agha.

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Asked directly whether he considered himself fully ready for the second Test, Babar offered a candid rather than emphatic answer, putting a figure on where his recovery stands.

"Yesterday, I had a couple of practice sessions; again, after this I am going back to my practice session. Just 90 per cent I am fit for tomorrow's match and the rest of the season," Babar said.

Bowling coach Umar Gul had already signalled optimism after watching the captain train at Lord's on Tuesday, describing a session that covered every type of bowling Babar is likely to encounter.

"Babar batted in the nets, faced fast bowlers, spinners and throwdowns," Gul said. "We're hopeful he will be available for the game, and today he was looking good; he batted well in the nets. He had a full batting session."

Gul was careful, however, to push back against the idea that one returning batter solves Pakistan's problems. He stressed that all three departments needed to improve on what was produced in Leeds, adding that in these conditions the greater responsibility falls on the bowlers.

MORE: Babar Azam batting record for Pakistan in England in Tests, ODIs and T20Is listed

The numbers explain the urgency around getting him onto the field. Babar averages 65.75 across six innings in England with three fifties, and against England overall he averages 53.83 from 14 innings, having passed fifty in seven of those outings.

His recent form travels with him too. Babar was Pakistan's leading run-scorer in the West Indies series, compiling 193 runs at 96.50 with two half-centuries, a return that stands in stark contrast to the collapses at Headingley. His inclusion is expected to force a reshuffle, with Azan Awais the likeliest to make way.

Either Shan Masood or Abdullah Shafique would move up to open, allowing Babar to return to his preferred number four position. There is added significance to the occasion as well, given his reappointment as Test captain came only before the West Indies series.

Lord's will mark his first Test in charge in England, at a ground where Pakistan has not played since 2018.

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