Babar Azam Set to Return as Pakistan Seek Batting Revival at Lord’s

Babar Azam is set to return to Pakistan's playing XI and captain the side at Lord's, after recovering sufficiently from the hand injury that kept him out of the opening Test at Headingley.

The Pakistan captain said he was 90% fit ahead of the second Test and was confident he would be ready to take the field.

"I had a couple of practice sessions," Babar said. "I'm 90% fit for tomorrow and the rest of the series."

Babar has been carefully managed during his recovery. Pakistan fast-bowling coach Umar Gul said the batter faced pace in the nets on Tuesday, although much of his recent batting practice has come against throwdowns. In the final session before the Test, Babar faced throwdowns and spin but did not face fast bowling.

His return nevertheless represents a significant boost for a Pakistan batting line-up that struggled badly in the first Test.

Pakistan Look to Recover From Headingley Collapse

Pakistan suffered a heavy three-day defeat at Headingley, with their batting collapsing twice inside 86 overs. Their first innings was particularly damaging as they slipped from 97 for 2 to 171 all out, losing their final eight wickets for just 64 runs.

Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique had initially given Pakistan hope with a 91-run partnership, but neither batter was able to convert their starts into substantial scores.

Babar acknowledged that Pakistan had been below their best in every department and stressed the need for greater partnerships and responsibility from the batting unit.

"You need to produce complete team performances," he said. "You have to bowl and bat in partnerships. And you have to take it deep as a batter if you're set."

The return of Babar is expected to strengthen a middle order that has struggled to absorb pressure, but the captain knows his presence alone will not solve Pakistan's batting problems.

Shafique to Retain His Position

Abdullah Shafique is expected to continue in his current batting position rather than moving up the order to accommodate Babar's return.

Shafique has been one of Pakistan's few consistent performers recently, scoring 260 runs at an average of 130 across his last four innings. Azan Awais is expected to make way as Pakistan reshuffle their batting line-up.

Babar backed Shafique to remain where he has been most comfortable.

"The number Abdullah is batting, he should [continue to] play there," Babar said. "He's batted three and four since his comeback. He's got confidence there so he'll continue there."

The Pakistan captain also called on the senior batters to prevent the kind of rapid collapses that undermined their performance at Headingley.

"We need to [stamp out] the back-to-back wickets we lose. The senior batters need to be more focused and make up for it."

Babar to Lead Pakistan at Lord's

The second Test will be a significant occasion for Babar, as he prepares to lead Pakistan at Lord's for the first time.

This is his third tour of England, and he was appointed Pakistan captain shortly after the team's previous visit in 2020. He will become the 15th Pakistan captain to lead the side at Lord's.

"When you lead the Pakistan side on this ground, it's an honour," Babar said. "I do my best on the field as captain and when I'm batting, I just play my game."

Pakistan will hope their strong record at Lord's can help them put the disappointment of Headingley behind them.

"Our stats here are good and we'd like to continue that," Babar said. "We will forget about the first Test and are looking forward to this one."

With their captain back and their batting order reshuffled, Pakistan will be aiming for a much more disciplined performance at Lord's and a chance to level the series.