Babar Azam to Bat at Number 4 Spot During Bangladesh Test Series: Report

Pakistani batting star Babar Azam is likely to bat at number four in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh while Abdullah Shaifq’s spot as an opener is not under any threat.

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Captain Shan Masood will take the number three spot in the batting order, dropping Babar to an unfamiliar number-four position in the two-match Test series starting August 21.

Muhammad Huraira is a ‘strong’ candidate to make his debut in the Test series.

Apart from opening, Babar has previously batted in the number three spot in limited-overs cricket. The trend started to see a change in red-ball cricket during Pakistan’s tour of Australia last year.

In 2022, Babar batted in the number three position in their tour of Sri Lanka as well. Later that year, Babar came out to bat in the same spot during the second Test against England.

Pakistan will play two ICC World Test Championship fixtures in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The first Test will be held from August 21 to 25 while the second will start on August 30 and conclude on September 3.

As per Geo News, Pakistan will be fielding three pacers and a single spinner for the upcoming Test. The primary reason behind this approach is the bowling-friendly pitches in Pakistan.

Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mir Hamza will most likely feature as the three pacers.

Bangladesh men’s cricket team touched down in Lahore on August 13. The team was taken to a private hotel from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

Strict security arrangements were made to ensure the safety of the foreign cricketers.

The series will be Jason Gillespie’s first major assignment as Pakistan’s Test coach. It was earlier announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that no spectators will be allowed during the second Test match.

The reason behind the announcement is ongoing renovations at the Karachi National Stadium.

Pakistan have not competed in a Test match since their series loss against Australia earlier this year. The Asian powerhouse endured 0-3  clean sweep on the tour.

They lost the opening fixture by 360 runs, the second match by 79 runs and the final game by eight wickets.