Babar Azam declares himself 90% fit for Lord's Test against England

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has completed training sessions and confirmed he is 90% fit to return from a hand injury for the second Test against England at Lord's, addressing the media at his pre-match press conference a day before Thursday's match.

The 31-year-old missed Pakistan's innings and 103-run defeat at Headingley, where his team was bowled out for 171 and 135. "I've had a couple of practice sessions again and I'm 90 percent fit for the match tomorrow," Babar told reporters, adding that leading Pakistan at Lord's is "an honour for me and I will do my best".

Return offers rare hope for struggling tourists

Pakistan finds itself in such desperate straits that Babar's return represents virtually all the hope the side can muster. His absence of nearly four years from the Test century column, his last hundred came in December 2022, would normally offer little reason for optimism, yet his recent form shows improvement with four fifties in his last four Tests. That represents progress from an average of 24 across two years prior to those recent matches.

The century drought has persisted despite Babar reaching 20 in 17 of his last 27 innings and batting for at least an hour in 12 of those 27, suggesting he has never looked "haplessly out of touch" even during his struggles. A mix-up with Abdullah Shafique at Port of Spain may have cost him a century that would have ended the drought earlier.

Captaincy and the weight of expectation

Losing the Pakistan captaincy in 2023 appears to have left an unmeasured mark on Babar, according to observers who note his batting record as captain suggests he needs that official validation. With social media's "distorted amplification," he became "probably as celebrated as any superstar in Pakistan ever has been," making the subsequent struggles more pronounced.

Batting order adjustments ahead

Babar ruled out moving Abdullah Shafique from his No.4 position, where the right-hander impressed with a stylish half-century at Headingley that lifted him seven spots to equal 27th on the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings. "The number Abdullah is batting, he should (continue to) play there," Babar said, adding that "senior batters need to be more focused" to address Pakistan's habit of losing back-to-back wickets.

Inexperienced opener Azan Awais is the most likely player to make way for the captain's return.

Lord's and Pakistani folklore

The prospect of Babar scoring at Lord's carries special resonance for Pakistan, whose fans cherish a lineage of beautiful batting performances in England, from Zaheer Abbas' 274 at Edgbaston to the Lord's doubles of Mohsin Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. A short ball from Ben Stokes that broke Babar's forearm may have denied him a Lord's hundred on his first appearance at the ground in 2018, when his assured 68 confirmed why he was so highly valued.

"We as a team have this ability to make a statement when we are written off and I think you will see a different side at Lord's which historically has been a good ground for us," Babar said, acknowledging his side failed to play "up to our mark" in the first Test.