Overview
- Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said Friday that Babar Azam is fit and available for the second Test in Sylhet.
- Anonymous PTI‑sourced reports say influential PCB figures want Babar reinstated as Test captain after the series, with no official decision yet and his performance in Sylhet seen as a possible trigger for timing.
- Following Tuesday’s 104‑run defeat in Dhaka, the ICC docked Pakistan eight World Test Championship points and fined the team 40 percent of their match fees for a slow over‑rate, leaving them down the table.
- Team sources indicate two or three selection changes are under consideration for Sylhet, with Babar set to return to the XI and options such as Khurram Shehzad for Hasan Ali and Sajid Khan for Noman Ali being weighed as the final call comes at the toss due to rain threats.
- Shan Masood’s side has lost 11 of 15 Tests under his tenure, and reports suggest he is weighing a PCB administrative role, with Saturday’s series decider likely to influence leadership calls for the West Indies tour and the rest of the WTC cycle.