With an average of 65.17, he is only second behind Don Bradman.
The opening day's action in Pakistan's second Test against Bangladesh was washed out on Friday following incessant rain
India's pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah's absence will certainly hurt India, but the team's quality batting and spin bowling make them title contenders alongside South Africa and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
England's Jacob Bethell will bat at number three for the first time in first-class cricket when he makes his Test debut against New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Thursday.
Bangladesh registered their first ever Test win over Pakistan after spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan bowled them to a memorable 10-wicket victory.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has dismissed the possibility of a 'hybrid model', under which India would play at a neutral venue while the rest of the tournament is held in Pakistan.
Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel were on the verge of centuries as they steered the home team to 256 for four
'International cricket is incomplete without Pakistan.'
The source said that the PCB is expecting to get some sort of viable answer from the BCCI officials at the upcoming meeting on the progress they have made (if any) on seeking clearance from their government to send their team to Pakistan early next year for the tournament.
As has been the case with ICC events, India and Pakistan have been clubbed in the same group which also has New Zealand and Bangladesh.
A Pakistani court sentenced jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 14 and 7 years in prison respectively after finding them guilty of corruption in the 190 million pounds al-Qadir Trust case. The verdict was announced in a makeshift court set up in Adila jail where Khan is currently lodged. Khan has been convicted for "corrupt practices" and "misuse of authority", while his wife has been convicted for "involvement in illegal activities". The court also ordered the confiscation of the land of Al-Qadir University set up by them. Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party staged a protest outside Parliament House, demanding his release. Khan claims all cases against him were politically motivated.
The ICC is scheduled to convene a meeting of its executive board on Tuesday to find a solution for the vexed issue.
The dismissal marked a significant low point in Azam's otherwise illustrious career.
'The ICC board will meet on November 29 to discuss the Champions Trophy schedule.'
England white-ball captain Jos Buttler will return to the side for their One-Day International and Twenty20 tour of the West Indies later in October after recovering from a calf injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday.
'We are directly interacting with the ICC and we are still waiting for a response from them so we can take things forward'
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said the Champions Trophy would be held entirely in Pakistan.
'Given the conditions, I expected Pakistan to continue batting and build a substantial lead.'
The Indian team has long gap between its group matches and Lahore is located close to the Indian border.
Four persons were killed and several others injured when a powerful bomb went off near Shia prayer hall in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi on Wednesday night, hours after one person was killed and 15 injured by two blasts outside an Imambargah in Karachi.
PCB said that in the media talk, Naqvi stated that the redevelopment and redesigning of stadiums will be completed on schedule, ensuring their availability to host the tournament.
Sources in the PCB yesterday said the trophy tour was planned in consultation and with the approval of the ICC and it was not a unilateral decision of the PCB.
South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada has dethroned Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as the top bowler in the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings released on Wednesday.
The BCCI is yet to give its consent to the tentative schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy next year.
England will be without captain Ben Stokes for the rest of the English summer after he picked up a hamstring injury, with batter Ollie Pope taking over the captaincy in his absence
An ICC delegation, which is due to visit Pakistan this month to ascertain the preparations for the Champions Trophy, will also discuss the tentative schedule of the event with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Former England captain Alastair Cook believes at the "precise moment in time" the in-form Joe Root is only matched by New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
It was India's fourth loss in the current WTC cycle, causing their PCT to drop from 68.06 to 62.82.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood said his team showed tremendous character to register back-to-back victories against England and win their first Test series on home soil since 2021.
Dressed in military overalls, the general waved to the crowd from a glass-panelled enclosure when the 31st over was being bowled in the day-night clash.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board named a 16-member squad for the India tour, on Thursday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is willing to make 'adjustments' in the schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy, with matches involving India taking place in the UAE.
The source, however, disputed Fakhar's tone and said one of the newly inducted selectors, former captain Azhar Ali had spoken to length with Babar on Saturday and explained to him the decision to rest him for the two Tests.
"He has taken to Test cricket like duck to water," Nasser Hussain, who was on-air, said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has suggested Lahore as India's home base during next year's ICC Champions Trophy.
He was the chief of the hardline political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami.
On Sunday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) formed the committee to probe the explosive allegations levelled by former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha that widespread rigging aided by the judiciary and the top election body took place against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday ruled out Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as one of the venues during India's tour of Pakistan early next year because of the renovation work the stadium is undergoing currently. 'We will not be able to finish the renovation work that includes the relaying of the outfield,' Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said.
Jailed former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has distanced itself from a party leader's invitation to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to join its protest, asserting that no foreign country has a role in its political struggle.
