PCB announced Pakistan Test squad for West Indies and England tour.
Shan Masood has been sacked as the Pakistan team's Test captain after an uneventful tenure, as the Men in Green squad was announced for the upcoming Test series in the West Indies and England on July 5, 2026. Babar Azam returns as the Pakistan Test captain going forward.
Masood was appointed nearly three years ago and captained Pakistan in 16 Tests, 12 of which they lost. No captain in Test history has ever lost 12 of their first 16 Tests, and only Misbah-ul-Haq, who lost 19 of his 56 Tests, has more defeats than Masood as captain. They have also lost their last seven Tests, which is the joint-highest in Pakistan's history.
Masood's tenure began with what has always proved Pakistan's biggest challenge, an away series in Australia, which they lost 3-0. It was a bad start from which Pakistan never really recovered, going on to lose 2-0 at home to Bangladesh, the first time they lost even a Test to them.
Aaqib Javed, Pakistan's high-performance director, indicated that the decision to alter the captaincy was motivated by Pakistan's repeated Test failures and inability to recover from losing positions.
He stated that, while the squad had played in multiple close games under Masood's guidance, certain recurring difficulties remained unresolved.
“We saw many close Test matches (under Shan’s captaincy). But a few things were not being addressed. Like the Centurion Test, South Africa’s two batters at No. 10 [for the tenth wicket] put on a 60-70 run partnership (51 runs). The game was in our hands. Against the West Indies in Multan, in the second Test, the team was rolled over easily.
Shan’s own performance during his tenure has been good, but as captain, he has not been able to bring the desired results. We wanted to look for a captain who comes in and leads the team better,” Javed was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
Babar Azam will captain the team in the two-Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean starting July 25 and will also lead in the three-match Test series against England from August 19 as part of the ongoing World Test Championship.
Pakistan's decision to return to Babar, the man from whom Masood took over, perhaps reflects the dearth of attractive candidates the PCB had available.
A 16-member squad has been named for the West Indies series, while a 17-member squad has been announced for the England tour. Saud Shakeel has been included as the 17th member for the England series, subject to fitness clearance.
Four uncapped players have been nominated to the squads: left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah, and wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, all vying for their first Test cap.
Pakistan squad for West Indies:
Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
Pakistan squad for England:
Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
West Indies series schedule:
First Test: July 25-29, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
Second Test: August 2-6, Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain
England series schedule:
First Test: August 19-23, Leeds
Second Test: August 27-31, Lord’s
Third Test: September 9-13, Birmingham