Lahore, 5 July 2026:
Babar Azam was named Pakistan Test captain again after the national selection committee announced the squads for the West Indies and England tours during a press conference on Sunday at Gaddafi Stadium.
The 31-year-old batter returns to the role with 10 Test wins as captain, putting him level with former fast bowler Waqar Younis, who led Pakistan from 1993 to 2003.
Babar now has a chance to climb Pakistan’s all-time list of successful Test captains during a busy red-ball period. Pakistan will play two Test matches in the West Indies later this month before touring England in August and September 2026. If Pakistan win all five Tests under Babar, his tally will rise to 15, taking him past Javed Miandad and Imran Khan, who each finished with 14 Test wins.
That would make Babar Pakistan’s second-most successful Test captain, behind Misbah-ul-Haq, who leads the list with 26 wins from 56 Tests. Misbah is currently serving as a selector for the men’s national team.
Babar will also have Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq within reach. Wasim recorded 12 wins from 25 Tests as captain, while Inzamam led Pakistan to 11 wins from 31 Tests between 2001 and 2007.
Pakistan’s first Test captain was A.H. Kardar, who led the country in its maiden Test era beginning in 1952. Kardar captained Pakistan in 23 Tests, winning six, losing six and drawing 11.
Babar has played 62 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 4,481 runs with nine centuries and 31 half-centuries. His highest Test score, 196, came against Australia in Karachi in 2022 while he was captain.
