Babar Azam declared fit to play in 2nd England Test
What's the story
Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has been declared fit to play in the second Test against England at Lord's. He had sustained a hand injury but has now recovered sufficiently. In a press conference ahead of the match, Babar said he was "90% fit" and felt comfortable going into the game. "I had a couple of practice sessions," he added.
Training details
Babar has been training hard despite his injury
Despite his injury, Babar has been training hard. Most of his batting drills have been against throwdowns, with no fast bowling in sight, as per Cricinfo.
This was done to ensure he doesn't aggravate his injury before the match.
England are not playing a specialist spinner at Lord's, which further eases Babar's return to action.
Impact on team
Pakistan's batting line-up has been underperforming
Babar's return is a much-needed boost for Pakistan's batting line-up, which has been underperforming.
The captain admitted that the team wasn't "up to the mark" in any department during their three-day defeat at Headingley.
He stressed the need for complete team performances and taking partnerships deep as batters if they're set.
Team strategy
Babar's return expected to boost middle order
Babar's return is expected to add some weight to a middle order that has been struggling under pressure.
Azan Awais is likely to make way for the captain, but Abdullah Shafique will continue batting at his current position.
Babar stressed on the need for senior batters to be more focused and make up for it.
Captaincy insights
First time leading Pakistan in England
This will be Babar's first time leading Pakistan in England, having been appointed captain after their last tour in 2020.
He will be the 15th Pakistani to lead a side at Lord's.
"When you lead the Pakistan side on this ground, it's an honor," he said. "Our stats here are good and we'd like to continue that."
Numbers
How has Babar Azam fared against England in Tests?
Across 8 Tests (14 innings), Babar has racked up 646 runs against England at a solid average of 53.83.
In addition to six fifties, he owns a hundred.
In England, the star batter owns 263 runs from 4 matches (6 innings) at 65.75 (50s: 3).
The remaining 383 of his runs have come at home. He averages 47.87.
Information
A look at Babar's overall numbers in Test cricket
Babar has played 64 matches to date. From 118 innings, he has amassed 4,674 runs at 43.68. A total of 9 hundreds and 33 fifties have flown from Babar's blade. Meanwhile, 2,381 of his runs have come away (home of opposition) at 40.35.