Three years after stepping down as Pakistan's all-format captain, Babar Azam made his return as the Test captain and he replaced Shan Masood. The Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) made the shocking call while announcing the squads for the West Indies and England tours. Aaqib Javed, Pakistan's high-performance director, talked about Masood's sacking and said that losing the game from winning positions was among the reasons behind it. "We saw many close Test matches [under Shan's captaincy]. But a few things were not being addressed. Like the Centurion Test, South Africa's two batters at No. 10 put on a 60-70 run partnership. The game was in our hands. Against the West Indies in Multan, in the second Test, the team was rolled over easily," Javed said. "The captain has a responsibility of finishing games. Same with the South Africa Tests at home. Some things are the responsibility of the team, some are the responsibility of the selectors, and some are the responsibility of the captain. The captain's responsibility also includes maintaining the team's over rate, taking DRS decisions, making the right call at the toss," he added. Masood struggled on the captaincy front and Pakistan only managed 4 wins in 12 matches under his captaincy. Babar Azam captained Pakistan to 10 wins in 20 matches before stepping down. Four matches ended in a draw. While the series against West Indies may not be a big challenge for Pakistan, the England tour will be a much tougher assignment for them.
Pakistan tour of West Indies and England schedule
Pakistan will travel to West Indies for two Test matches. The series opener will be played from July 25 to 30 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Trinidad's Queen's Park Oval will host the second Test from August 2 to 7.
After the WI series, Pakistan will land in England for three Tests. Headingley will host the first Test from August 19 to 23. The second Test will be played at the Lord's Cricket Ground from August 27 to 31. The third and final Test is scheduled to be played in Edgbaston.
Pakistan's squad for Englad and West Indies series: Squads for West Indies and England - Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
