Pakistan Plans to Reinstate Babar Azam as Test Captain After Series Defeats
2 hours agoSports
30LENS
5 SourcesDhaka, Bangladesh
TBNthebalanced.news

Pakistan Plans to Reinstate Babar Azam as Test Captain After Series Defeats

Pakistan is reportedly preparing 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 missed the opening Test against Bangladesh due to injury but is expected to return for the second match on May 18. Influential Pakistan Cricket Board members and some team players support Babar's return, with plans to eventually have him lead the ODI team ahead of next year's World Cup.

Political Bias
0%100%0%
Sentiment
46%
AI analysis of 5 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 5 sources
● Left 0%● Center 100%● Right 0%

The articles primarily reflect sports reporting perspectives focusing on team management and leadership changes within Pakistan cricket. They present views from Pakistan Cricket Board insiders, team members, and media sources without evident political framing. The coverage centers on performance and administrative decisions, representing both criticism of Shan Masood's captaincy and support for Babar Azam's potential return.

Sentiment — Neutral (46/100)

The overall tone across the articles is critical regarding Pakistan's recent Test performances and Shan Masood's captaincy, highlighting losses and leadership challenges. However, the sentiment is cautiously optimistic about Babar Azam's possible return, emphasizing his experience and potential to stabilize the team. The coverage balances disappointment with prospects for improvement.

How 5 sources covered this story

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

SourceTheir headlineBiasSentiment
englishBabar Azam To Become Pakistan Test Captain? PCB To Replace Shan MasoodCenterNeutral
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
  5. 5
    english13 May, 02:43 pm
    Babar Azam To Become Pakistan Test Captain? PCB To Replace Shan Masood

Lens Score breakdown

30/100
Public interest8/100
Coverage gap90%

Well-covered story — coverage matches public importance.

Story context

Category
Sports
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sources analysed
5
Last analysed
13 May 2026
Key entities
Captain (cricket)Test cricketPakistanICC World Test ChampionshipCricket World CupBatting (cricket)BangladeshShan MasoodPakistan Cricket BoardOne Day InternationalCricketIndia