'He’ll come back in at Lord’s': Stuart Broad claims Babar Azam set to comeback for 2nd Test amid confusion over Pakistan captain's fitness originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:- Stuart Broad believes Babar Azam will return for Pakistan's 2nd Test against England at Lord's.
- Babar missed the Headingley opener after aggravating a finger injury during a warm-up match.
- Pakistan's batting struggled badly as England won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs.
- Broad called Babar Pakistan's "best player" and said the team must bring him back if fit.
Former England cricketer turned commentator Stuart Broad thinks that Babar Azam will be brought back into Pakistan's playing XI for the second Test against England at Lord's from August 27, despite there being some doubts over the captain's fitness.
The Pakistan captain missed the opening Test match at Headingley because he had taken a hit on the middle finger of his right hand in the three-day practice game against Professional County Club Select XI. Babar had hurt his finger before in the Test match against the West Indies.
Since the Pakistan captain was unavailable for the first Test, Pakistan appointed Salman Ali Agha as the temporary captain for the match. However, even with a new captain, Pakistan was no match for England, and the hosts won by an innings and 103 runs.
On the podcast For The Love Of Cricket with former England captain Jos Buttler, Broad expressed his confidence in Babar to play at Lord's.
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What did Stuart Broad say about Babar Azam's return?According to Broad, the experience and quality of Babar mean that he is an absolute necessity for Pakistan in the second Test match.
“Babar has to. He nearly did, as you know. He got ruled out the day before and was declared out of the Test match. Then he walked down those stairs from the changing room, fully kitted up in his whites, with his jacket and Pakistan cap, at toss time,” he said.
Broad also recalled an awkward encounter with Babar before the Headingley Test began.
“I was at the bottom of the stairs, and we had an awkward handshake. You know, what do they call those ones instead of the normal handshake? I don’t know. It’s a minefield. That’s the modern handshake. We had a modern handshake.”
Despite Babar's fitness concerns, Broad remains convinced Pakistan will bring their star batter back for the second Test.
“I’m sure he’ll come back in at Lord’s. They have to bring him back. They look very, very fragile as a batting group, and he’s their best player,” he concluded.
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Pakistan need Babar Azam more than ever after Headingley collapseThe importance of Babar Azam to Pakistan might even have increased after their showing in the first Test match, where England scored 409 runs before dismissing Pakistan for 171 and 135, respectively, to clinch a 103-run victory.
Even stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha highlighted the importance of Babar Azam by saying, "Hopefully he will be fine because he is someone like he's our best batter."
Since Babar Azam has been chosen as Test captain before the start of this England series, his presence in the next match will be crucial for Pakistan to level the series.
Nevertheless, Babar Azam should be cautiously considered to be included in the next match because his current injury relates to the same finger which had been injured before during the West Indies series, and any further setback can result in serious ramifications.
Provided that he gets medically cleared, Babar's return for the next Test at Lord's will be a great boost for Pakistan. Nevertheless, until then, his comeback can be viewed only as a possibility and not a surety.
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