Lahore, July 5,2026: Babar Azam has been appointed Pakistan’s Test captain for a second time, replacing Shan Masood ahead of the national side’s upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies cricket team later this month.
The change was announced as part of Pakistan’s squad unveiling for the Caribbean tour, bringing an end to Masood’s difficult stint at the helm after a run of poor results in the longest format.
Masood, who was appointed Test captain nearly three years ago, led Pakistan in 16 Tests and lost 12 of them — the worst start by any captain in Test history after 16 matches. Pakistan also lost their last seven Tests under his leadership, equalling the team’s longest losing streak in the format.
Pakistan’s High Performance Director Aaqib Javed said the decision to change leadership was driven by repeated failures to close out winning positions and a pattern of avoidable defeats.
“We saw many close Test matches under Shan’s captaincy, but a few things were not being addressed,” Aaqib said, citing Pakistan’s inability to finish games in key moments, including missed opportunities in South Africa and against the West Indies at home.
He said the captain’s role extended beyond individual performance to include match management, over-rate discipline, decision-making on DRS and handling crucial moments in the game.
“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,” Aaqib added.
Masood’s captaincy tenure began with a 3-0 away series defeat in Australia, a difficult start from which Pakistan never fully recovered. That was followed by a 2-0 home series loss to Bangladesh — the first time Pakistan had ever lost a Test series to Bangladesh — before a comeback series win over England later in the year offered the only major highlight of his leadership spell.
Overall, Pakistan won just one of the seven Test series played under Masood, losing four and finishing at the bottom of the World Test Championship 2023-25 standings.
Despite the poor results, Masood retained his place in the side on the back of improved personal form. His batting average as captain rose to 34.06, compared to 28.51 before taking charge, and included two centuries and seven half-centuries.
Aaqib stressed that the decision to remove Masood as captain was separate from his place in the playing XI, indicating that his performances with the bat remain valued by the team management.
Pakistan’s decision to return to Babar Azam appears to reflect both his past success in the role and the lack of an obvious alternative. Although Babar has endured a lean patch in recent years — particularly in Test cricket, where he has averaged just over 27 during Masood’s captaincy — his previous stint as captain was considerably more successful.
During his first term as Test captain, Babar led Pakistan in 20 matches, winning 10 of them. His tenure included a 2-0 home series win over South Africa and away clean sweeps in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It also coincided with a strong run of form with the bat, as he averaged more than 50 in Test cricket while leading the side.
However, Babar’s first stint was not without setbacks, the most notable being Pakistan’s 3-0 home whitewash at the hands of England — the only such defeat in the country’s Test history.
Babar returns to the role at a demanding stage of Pakistan’s Test calendar. The two-match series against the West Indies will be followed by a three-Test tour of England, Pakistan’s first in six years, before a busy home season featuring Test series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
