PAKISTAN captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of Wednesday’s Rothesay Series opener against England, leaving Salman Ali Agha to take over at Headingley.

Babar was initially struck on the right hand while facing the West Indies earlier this month and received another blow from England Under-19 seamer Manny Lumsden in a tour match at Beckhenham last week. He duly retired hurt in what was described as a “precautionary measure.”

The tourists were keen to give him time to recover but, while he has been cleared of a broken middle finger, he has not been cleared to lead the side in Yorkshire despite working through a brief net session.

“Babaz Azam is not available, Salman will be captain for the first Test,” said coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.

“It’s not broken, there is a little bit of swelling on the finger. Hopefully he will be available for the second Test match.”

Babar’s absence robs Pakistan not only of their on-field leader but one of their most talented batters, with nine Test hundreds to his name and an average of 43.68. Saud Shakeel is expected to be drafted into the XI after sitting out the West Indies series.

Pakistan did win their two most recent Tests against England without Babar on home turf in 2024, but the surface in Leeds is likely to present a considerably different challenge to the two extreme turning decks served up in Multan and Rawalpindi.