RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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'More than happy': Salman Ali Agha jokes about giving Pakistan captaincy back to Babar Azam after ENG vs PAK 1st Test defeat originally appeared on Cricket News .
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Salman Ali Agha joked he would be happy to hand the captaincy back to Babar Azam.
He led Pakistan at Headingley against England with Babar sidelined by a hand injury.
Pakistan lost the first Test by an innings and 103 runs inside three days.
Salman Ali Agha jokes about giving Pakistan captaincy back to Babar Azam 1st Test defeat
Stand-in captains rarely enjoy their first press conference after an innings defeat, and Salman Ali Agha found some rare levity in an otherwise grim afternoon at Headingley. Asked about Babar Azam's fitness ahead of the second Test, the all-rounder made clear he would be delighted to return the armband.
Agha had taken charge for the series opener after Babar was ruled out, the reinstated captain having been struck on the hand by Hampshire quick Manny Lumsden during the warm-up fixture at Beckenham. Pakistan withdrew him as a precaution, with the injury described as minor.
The match that followed did little to suggest Pakistan can cope without their best batter. They were bowled out for 171 and 135, losing by an innings and 103 runs before tea on the third day, with Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue taking eight wickets apiece across the match.
MORE: 'Need batters with good technique': Ex-India star pinpoints why Pakistan are struggling with the bat in ENG vs PAK Tests
What Salman Ali Agha said about handing the captaincy back to Babar Azam after Headingley loss
Pressed on whether he expected Babar to return for the Lord's Test starting on Thursday, Agha responded with a smile that drew laughter from the room. "I am more than happy to hand the captaincy to him," Agha said . He then turned serious about what Babar's return would mean for a batting order that has looked entirely unequipped for English conditions.
Salman Ali Agha laughs after saying he is more than happy to hand over the captaincy to Babar Azam. VC: PCB #ENGvPAK | #Cricket | #Pakistan | #SalmanAliAgha | #BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/fqap65IAU4
— Khel Shel (@khelshel) August 21, 2026 "Hopefully he will be fine because he is someone like he's our best batter. He is one of the best batters in the world. So we will definitely want to have him and hand him the captaincy," Agha added. Agha's own contribution to the match was modest, dismissed lbw by Tongue for just 4 runs in the second innings as Pakistan slid from 51 for 2 to 76 for 6.
He had earlier shared a brief partnership with Mohammad Rizwan, scoring 21 in the first innings, the pair representing the tourists' last realistic hope of a competitive total. Coincidentally, he was bowled by none other than Tongue in his earlier innings as well.
MORE: 'Bizarre cricket': Nasser Hussain slams Mohammad Rizwan for exposing Pakistan tailender in humiliating loss vs England
Why Babar's return alone will not fix Pakistan's problems
There is understandable relief in Agha's answer, and Babar's presence would undoubtedly strengthen a top order that managed just one meaningful partnership across the entire Test.
His recent form has also been encouraging, with 88 in the series-levelling win over the West Indies in Port of Spain. The harder truth is that Pakistan's failings at Headingley ran far deeper than one absentee.
Losing eight first-innings wickets for 74 runs and then four for 25 in the second innings points to a collective inability to absorb pressure against seam movement, a pattern that has now produced six defeats from six away Tests in SENA countries since 2022. Babar may take the captaincy back at Lord's, but he cannot bat at every position.
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