BAN vs PAK: Babar Azam ruled out of first Test with knee injury

Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh due to a knee injury. Bangladesh and Pakistan are set to face off in a two-match Test series beginning on May 8 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, and Babar’s injury comes as a major blow to the visitors.

The star batter was in rich form during the recently concluded Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026), finishing as the leading run scorer of the tournament in Peshawar Zalmi’s title triumph.  Captaining the side, Babar led from the front, accumulating 588 runs from 11 innings at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.90 with two hundreds and three fifties.

He arrived in Bangladesh on Monday, May 4, just hours after the PSL 2026 final. Babar trained for two days with the team without any discomfort, but experienced pain in his left knee on Thursday as the medical team opted to rest him for the first Test.

“Pakistan batter Babar Azam will not be available for the first Test match against Bangladesh due to a injury in left knee. The team's medical panel is currently assessing his condition. Further updates will be shared in due course,” informed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a media release.

The upcoming match will be the first away Test fixture Babar will miss since January 2021. His absence will leave a gaping hole in the Pakistan batting line up, which is likely to be filled by a debutant.

Pakistan ranked fifth on WTC points table

Meanwhile, Pakistan are ranked fifth on the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with one win from two matches, having a points percentage of 50%. On the other hand, Bangladesh are placed eighth (second last) with one loss and a draw to their name, having a points percentage of 16.67%.

The upcoming series will be the first away Test rubber for Pakistan of the ongoing WTC cycle. The last time two teams met in a Test series was in 2024, where Bangladesh beat Pakistan for the first time by 2-0.