Discipline, fitness, and performance are the three benchmarks that Babar Azam has laid for his team as he prepares for his second tenure as Pakistan's Test captain, which begins later this month with a two-Test series in the Caribbean. Babar has also said that he will extend his full support to the players, but it would have to be earned.
Pakistan handed the reins of the Test team back to Babar following an abysmal run in the format under Shan Masood, who had taken the reins from Babar and captained Pakistan to 12 defeats in 16 matches.
Pakistan finished the last World Test Championship cycle at the bottom and continue to languish there in the current cycle with a solitary win from four matches. They were recently blanked 2-0 in Bangladesh and have not won a Test series away from home since sweeping Sri Lanka in July 2023, when incidentally Babar was the captain. Babar, overall, led Pakistan to 10 wins in 20 Tests with four matches being drawn, and Pakistan are hoping for a change of fortunes ahead of the West Indies and England tours with him back at the helm.
"It is an honour for me to be leading Pakistan again," Babar said in the PCB's in-house digital interview which was released on Monday. "I have learned from my past experience of leading the side and playing as a player. I am very confident this time and I feel I have improved and matured. So, I will be leading this team with better planning and a positive mindset this time around … There were negatives and positives in my last tenure, which I analysed and it provided me clarity.
"My main focus is on discipline, fitness, and performance and there would be no compromise on them. They are of utmost importance for me to build this team. I have always backed the players whenever I have led the team, but that can only be done when there is a positive response from the players."
Pakistan made a host of changes from their last Test squad which toured Bangladesh with almost all the changes in the bowling department. The need for a new-look bowling attack was felt by the selectors because of the docile fast bowling which had been on display in the two Tests in Mirpur and Sylhet. In a major development they axed their most experienced current fast bowler in Shaheen Afridi, along with Hasan Ali, and Noman Ali. Allrounder Amad Butt who did not play either of the two Tests was also dropped.
Pakistan recalled fast bowlers Mohammad Ali, who has been playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship division one and Vitality Blast T20, and Aamir Jamal and included uncapped 20-year-old Ubaid Shah, Naseem's and Hunain's younger brother, to overcome the fast bowling woes, replaced Noman with Ali Usman, who topped the bowling charts in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 with 48 wickets in eight matches for Multan.
They also conducted a month-long summer camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore to prepare the side for the two tours, which Babar said was needed in current circumstances.
"What I have realised over the years is that we have been lacking a bit in fitness in Test cricket because of which we did not have impactful performances with the bat or ball," he said. "Through one-on-one discussions with the coaches and the management, the players were made aware about why they were not able to perform in critical situations and that exercise helped us zero in on fitness. We have also worked on our fielding during the camp and learned how to survive adverse conditions, as this camp was conducted in scorching heat.
"It is important to understand where and why we have been struggling in Tests. The bowlers need to have the same intensity in the second and third spells as the first ones. The fatigue will kick in, but as a player you need to be ready to serve the requirement of the team. It goes for the batters too and this is something on which I do not compromise. We have focused more on practice matches in this camp and it has allowed players to bat for multiple sessions and hours, which I feel will be helpful for them.
"This is a young team and it has best performers from our domestic circuit. I feel confident of leading this side because these all are the best players we have. As a senior player and captain, you have to be aware how you have to get performances out of them while keeping the environment calm, because international cricket is all about handling pressure. I talk to them about how they can handle different situations and remain focused."
Runs have alluded Babar across international formats over the last few years because of which he has remained under scrutiny. His averages since the start of 2024 have been well below his overall in the formats: T20Is 32.67 to 38.94, ODIs 39 to 53.43, and Tests 28.72 to 42.67. But recently, there has been an uptick in his form in all three formats. He created the record for the most runs in a single edition of the PSL as he led Peshawar Zalmi to the title earlier in the year and played crucial knocks of 40 and 69 in the first and third ODIs against Australia on raging turners to help Pakistan seal the series 2-1. He made 47 and 68 in Pakistan's most recent Test outing in Sylhet after missing the Mirpur Test with an injury.
But he last scored a Test century in December 2022 against New Zealand in Karachi and he would be eager to end this drought across the next five matches. That the added pressure of captaining the side brings the best out of him might work in his favour. His average as captain in Tests stands at 50.79 and he has scored four of his nine centuries when he has had the armband on.
"I try to take responsibility rather than batting for myself when I walk to the middle," he said of his own form. "It doesn't matter whether I am captaining the team. If the team needs me to score quickly, I do that. If the situation demands me to be defensive, I mould myself in that manner. The pressure is always there when you bat [whether you are a captain or not]. I enjoy the responsibility."
Babar's second stint as captain starts on July 25 when they play West Indies at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba. The second Test of the two-match series will be played at the Queen's Park Oval from August 2 to 6. The series follows three Tests in England which will be played at Headingley (August 19-23), Lord's (August 27-31), and Edgbaston (September 9-13).