Pakistan Considers Reinstating Babar Azam as Test Captain After Series Defeats
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4 SourcesPakistan
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Pakistan Considers Reinstating Babar Azam as Test Captain After Series Defeats

Pakistan is reportedly planning to reinstate Babar Azam as Test captain following a series of defeats under Shan Masood, who has lost 11 of 15 Tests since December 2023. Babar, sidelined by injury for the opening Test against Bangladesh, is expected to return for the second match and is considered a strong candidate to resume captaincy if he regains form. Influential Pakistan Cricket Board members and some team players support this move, with plans to eventually have Babar lead the ODI team ahead of the next World Cup.

Political Bias
0%100%0%
Sentiment
46%
AI analysis of 4 sources · Published under editorial oversight by The Balanced News
Analysed 13 May 2026· How this analysis is produced· Editorial standards· Corrections

AI Analysis

Political bias across 4 sources
● Left 0%● Center 100%● Right 0%

The articles primarily reflect perspectives from within Pakistan's cricket administration and team insiders, focusing on leadership and performance issues without political framing. They present views supporting Babar Azam's return and critique of Shan Masood's captaincy, reflecting internal sports governance dynamics rather than broader political narratives.

Sentiment — Neutral (46/100)

The overall tone is critical regarding Pakistan's recent Test performances and Shan Masood's leadership, highlighting losses and team dissatisfaction. However, it remains neutral and factual, emphasizing potential positive change through Babar Azam's possible reinstatement, thus conveying a cautiously hopeful sentiment without overt optimism or negativity.

How 4 sources covered this story

Each source's own headline, political lean, and sentiment — so you can see framing differences at a glance.

SourceTheir headlineBiasSentiment
hindustantimesPakistan prepare Babar Azam captaincy U-turn after Shan Masood's Test reign sinks further with Bangladesh defeat: ReportCenterNeutral
indiatodayBabar Azam as Test captain again? Pakistan plan sacking Shan Masood after Mirpur lossCenterNeutral
news18Pak preparing to bring Babar Azam back as Test captainCenterNeutral
theprintPak preparing to bring Babar Azam back as Test captainCenterNeutral

Coverage timeline

theprint broke this story on 13 May, 12:26 pm. Other outlets followed.

  1. 1
    theprint13 May, 12:26 pm
    Pak preparing to bring Babar Azam back as Test captain
  2. 2
    news1813 May, 12:28 pm
    Pak preparing to bring Babar Azam back as Test captain
  3. 3
    indiatoday13 May, 01:11 pm
    Babar Azam as Test captain again? Pakistan plan sacking Shan Masood after Mirpur loss
  4. 4
    hindustantimes13 May, 01:19 pm
    Pakistan prepare Babar Azam captaincy U-turn after Shan Masood's Test reign sinks further with Bangladesh defeat: Report

Lens Score breakdown

30/100
Public interest8/100
Coverage gap90%

Well-covered story — coverage matches public importance.

Story context

Category
Sports
Location
Pakistan
Sources analysed
4
Last analysed
13 May 2026
Key entities
Captain (cricket)Test cricketPakistanICC World Test ChampionshipCricket World CupBatting (cricket)BangladeshShan MasoodIndiaPakistan Cricket BoardTwenty20 InternationalOne Day International