Azan Awais

Azan Awais announced his arrival in Test cricket with a century on debut in Dhaka during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh in 2026. That was the only century that a Pakistani scored on that tour and it cemented his place at the top of the order in a struggling batting line-up. He furthered his credentials as a Test opener in the next series, against West Indies, with a courageous half-century on a treacherous Queen's Park pitch in Port of Spain as Pakistan went on to win the Test and level the two-match series 1-1.

The Sialkot-born left-hand opening batter was propelled to Test cricket at the back of a successful run in first-class cricket, owing to his ability to tackle both pace and spin effectively. No batter in Pakistan had scored more than his 2673 runs at an average of 48.6 across the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and President's Trophy in two seasons since his debut in 2024.