India, July 6 -- Babar Azam has returned to lead Pakistan's Test cricket team after Shan Masood was axed from the role on Sunday.

Masood's firing seemed inevitable after the team fell to 12 defeats in 16 matches during his tenure, which began when he initially replaced Babar in late 2023. "We wanted to look for a captain who could lead the team in a much better way," selector Aaqib Javed told reporters in Lahore. "Shan's individual performance was good but as captain we weren't getting the desired results."

Javed said the selection committee was unanimous in recommending Babar as captain and no other player came up in the discussion.

Pakistan's results in Test matches took a sharp decline since Masood lost 3-0 to Australia in his first...