Connect with us

Sports

Pakistan suffer major blow as captain Babar Azam ruled out of first Test against England

Published

3 hours ago

on

Pakistan suffer a major setback ahead of the first Test against England as newly reappointed captain Babar Azam is ruled out with a finger injury. Babar injures the middle finger of his right hand while batting against the West Indies and aggravates it during a warm-up game in Beckenham.

“Pakistan captain Babar Azam is unavailable for the first test match,” Pakistan coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said. “Salman Agha will be the captain for the first test.”

Babar ruled out, Agha takes charge

Ahmed confirms that Babar’s finger is not broken but says the team hopes the pain settles in time for the second Test at Lord’s, starting August 27. Babar’s absence is a significant blow after he recently returned as captain and was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer against the West Indies.

Agha is set to captain Pakistan in a Test for the first time, having already led the team in T20 cricket. Shan Masood, who was replaced by Babar as captain, also returns after recovering from a broken finger.

Advertisement

“Our practice match gave us a lot of confidence,” Ahmed said. “Whatever bases we needed to cover with bat and ball, we did. We believe we’ll do very well here.”

Advertisement

England also enter new era

England, meanwhile, begin the series under a changed leadership setup. Joe Root returns as captain following Ben Stokes’ retirement, while Brendon McCullum has also left the coaching role. Marcus Trescothick takes interim charge as new coach Stephen Fleming misses the series.

Root, who previously led England from 2017 to 2022, says his experience has prepared him for another stint as captain.

Advertisement

“I feel as ready as any other England captain that’s ever been before,” Root said. “To have that amount of experience is invaluable.”

Harry Brook remains vice-captain, with Root confident of his support.

“I fully feel he’s got my back like the rest of the guys do,” Root said.

Source link

Advertisement
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

Update on former AEW star headed to WWE

Published

4 minutes ago

on

19 August 2026

By

A recent report provides an update about a popular pro wrestler headed to WWE. He is expected to join forces with a former champion.

Earlier this year, it was reported that former five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi had signed a multi-year deal with the Stamford-based promotion. WWE has been teasing his arrival via vignettes and social media. He is expected to join forces with fellow Japanese star Shinsuke Nakamura.

In the most recent edition of Fightful Select Answers, Sean Ross Sapp answered a question about Hiromu Takahashi. SRS reported that as hinted on Friday Night Smackdown, the former AEW star was headed to World Wrestling Entertainment and planned to team up with Shinsuke Nakamura. He further noted that he was surprised that the 36-year-old was not headed to NXT.

Advertisement

Shinsuke Nakamura is going after the MFTs, and Hiromu Takahashi would be a great partner given his extensive history with Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura seemingly confirmed that Hiromu Takahashi is his mystery partner

In a vignette that aired on the most recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura appeared to have revealed his mystery partner’s identity.

The King of Strong Style sarcastically congratulated the MFTs on winning the WWE Tag Team Championship. He warned the heel faction, stating that he and his new partner would destroy them.

The former three-time WWE United States Champion massively put over his partner and referred to him as a ticking time bomb. It seemingly confirmed that Hiromu Takahashi would be the one joining him as he earned the nickname “Ticking Time Bomb” during his run in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2016.

Advertisement

“MFTs, congratulations! You are now the champions. Are you savoring the feeling, knowing it will be gone soon? Was the victory as sweet, knowing what’s coming next? Me, my partner – your destruction. My partner is what you all pretend to be. Experienced, vicious, deadly. He is chaos. He’s a ticking time bomb. Take cover,” Nakamura said.

It will be interesting to see when Hiromu Takahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura show up on Friday Night SmackDown.