The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named Babar Azam as the new captain of the national Test team for the upcoming tours of the West Indies and England.
The 16-member squad, announced by selection committee member Aqib Javed, also sees Shan Masood retained as a player, while Saud Shakeel misses out due to fitness concerns.
The PCB confirmed Babar Azam's appointment as Pakistan's new Test captain, ending Shan Masood's tenure as skipper.
The announcement was made by selection committee member Aqib Javed, who was joined by Asad Shafiq and former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq during the squad announcement.
🚨 Babar Azam to lead Pakistan in upcoming Test tours of West Indies and England 🏏#WIvPAK | #ENGvPAK | #PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/SycEWDalLC
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 5, 2026
Pakistan announce 16-member Test squad
Pakistan's squad for the West Indies and England Test series includes:
- Captain: Babar Azam
- Shan Masood
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Azan Owais
- Abdullah Fazal
- Salman Ali Agha
- Ghazi Ghauri
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Sajid Khan
- Ali Usman
- Aamir Jamal
- Mohammad Ali
- Mohammad Abbas
- Obaid Shah
- Owais Zafar
- Khurram Shahzad
Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel was not included after failing to recover fully from his fitness issues.
Tour schedule
Pakistan will begin the tour with a warm-up match in Troubadour on July 18.
The first Test against the West Indies is scheduled to be played in Troubadour from July 25 to 29 before the team continues its tour.
Aqib Javed explains selection decisions
Speaking after announcing the squad, Aqib Javed said the team's preparations for the tour were progressing well.
He noted that he and Asad Shafiq had been serving on the selection committee for the past 18 months, while Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed had joined the panel six months ago.
Aqib also stressed that player selection depends on performances across the three formats of the game.
Aqib Javed acknowledged that Shan Masood had performed well individually but said captaincy is ultimately judged by results.
"Some things should have been better in Shan Masood's captaincy," he said, adding that leadership must be evaluated alongside team performances.
He also confirmed that Saud Shakeel requires more time to recover from his fitness issues before returning to international cricket.
