Pakistan captain Babar Azam down with fever before Edgbaston Test
Pakistan captain Babar Azam is battling fever ahead of the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston from September 9, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema confirmed to Geo News. Cheema said Babar remains otherwise fit and is expected to recover quickly, but the illness lands as Pakistan overhaul their squad and coaching staff after falling 2-0 behind in the series.
The timing could hardly be worse for a side already reeling from back-to-back defeats. England hold an unassailable 2-0 lead after wins by an innings and 103 runs in the first Test and 194 runs at Lord's. Pakistan failed to pass 200 in any of their four innings across those matches, and Babar — under heavy scrutiny after scores of eight and six at Lord's — now faces a fitness question days before the Edgbaston decider.
Key Takeaways
- Babar Azam has developed a fever before the Edgbaston Test starting September 9; Pakistan's team manager says he is otherwise fit and should recover soon.
- England lead the three-match series 2-0 after dominant wins, leaving Pakistan fighting to avoid a whitewash at Edgbaston.
- The PCB released seven players and added five uncapped cricketers plus Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal ahead of the final Test.
- Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have been removed; Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke join the Test coaching staff.
- Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq has offered to resign from the national selection committee amid the upheaval.
Why is Babar Azam's fever a concern before Edgbaston?
Babar informed team manager Naveed Akram Cheema about his condition, and Cheema confirmed the news to Geo News. Cheema stressed there was no need to panic, describing Babar as fit apart from the fever and projecting a quick recovery.
Even so, the captain arrives at Edgbaston under intense pressure. He missed the opening Test through injury, with Salman Ali Agha leading the side, then returned for Lord's but managed only eight and six as Pakistan slumped to a 194-run defeat. England's 2-0 advantage means the Edgbaston match is effectively a salvage operation — and Pakistan need their most experienced batter at full strength.
Babar's recent form offers little comfort at Edgbaston. He scored 193 runs across two Tests in the West Indies tour, including two half-centuries, as Pakistan drew the series 1-1. Yet he has not reached a Test century since his 161 against New Zealand in December 2022. With the PCB already reshaping the squad around him, any doubt over Babar's availability at Edgbaston only deepens the crisis.
What squad changes has Pakistan made before the final Test?
The Pakistan Cricket Board has made sweeping changes after the first two defeats. Seven players have been released from the touring squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.
In their place, five uncapped players have been called up — Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah. Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have also been added, though the pair share just 10 Test matches of combined experience.
The scale of the overhaul is unusual mid-series and underscores how badly Pakistan's campaign has unravelled before Edgbaston. Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq has offered his resignation from the men's national selection committee following the PCB's decisions, according to NDTV Sports. The board is yet to accept that resignation, and Misbah has also decided to step down as batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
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Who is coaching Pakistan at Edgbaston after the overhaul?
Pakistan have parted ways with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul after heavy defeats in the opening two Tests. Sarfaraz and Gul have been sent back to Pakistan along with the seven released players, Geo News reported.
White-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke have been drafted into the Test coaching set-up for the Edgbaston match. The switch brings familiar faces from Pakistan's limited-overs setup into a red-ball environment that has already exposed deep structural problems.
Whether the new coaching pairing can stabilise a squad packed with inexperienced call-ups — and a captain recovering from fever — will define Pakistan's Edgbaston Test. England, meanwhile, arrive with momentum and nothing to lose, having already secured the series.
Can Pakistan avoid a whitewash at Edgbaston?
Pakistan's batting has been the core problem. Across four innings in the first two Tests, they never reached 200. England's attack has dominated throughout the series, and Pakistan's response has been a root-and-branch squad refresh rather than incremental tweaks.
At Edgbaston, Babar Azam's leadership and form will be critical if Pakistan are to deny England a 3-0 sweep. Team officials remain optimistic about his fever, but the combination of illness, poor returns at Lord's and a gutted squad makes the Edgbaston task formidable.
The third Test begins on September 9 at Edgbaston. Pakistan must find answers quickly — on the field, in the dressing room and in the selection room — or face a clean sweep that would cap one of their most turbulent tours of England in recent memory. As reported by Rediff Cricket, the PCB's dramatic overhaul reflects the urgency of the moment heading into the Edgbaston finale.