Out-of-Form Babar Azam to Play Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Before Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Tests: After a satisfying end to the tri-nation series between Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England, the Pakistan team now shifts its focus to the Test series against Sri Lanka. After winning the final of the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka, skipper Shaheen Afridi expressed his desire to return to red-ball cricket, and to do that, he confirmed that he will feature in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Shaheen Afridi will be leading FATA.
Apart from confirming his availability, Shaheen also revealed that Pakistan’s Test captain, Babar Azam, will also play in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy before the start of the Test series against Sri Lanka. Babar Azam had a horror show in the tri-nation ODI series, where he had a string of low scores. Fans were further hurt when Babar Azam got out without opening his account in the final of the tri-nation series.
After the win in the final, Shaheen Afridi showed full confidence in Babar Azam, saying that Babar knows his game and will regain his form soon. In 5 innings, Babar Azam managed only 118 runs at an average of 23 without scoring a single half-century, including a duck in the final.
Shaheen and Babar will now come face to face on 3rd November 2026, when FATA takes on Lahore Whites at the Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad, in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2026. This will serve as an important preparatory game for Pakistan’s Test captain Babar Azam, who is struggling to score runs and play big knocks consistently.
Shaheen, meanwhile, is not part of the Test team that faces Sri Lanka starting 9th November 2026 in Rawalpindi. However, he is quite eager to return to red-ball cricket, and he wants to earn his way back through the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Shaheen had a great tri-nation series, finishing as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker.
