Babar Azam set to return to Pakistan domestic red-ball cricket with OGDCL

Pakistan Test skipper Babar Azam’s dip in form has seen him turn to domestic cricket.The batter is set to represent Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) as a guest player in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade 1 first-class tournament, Cricinfo reported.Azam had requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to facilitate his inclusion in a domestic side so that he could remain in touch with the longer format and work on his game. The PCB subsequently arranged his participation with OGDCL.Test century drought continuesAzam’s struggles in Test cricket have continued over the past few years. He has not scored a Test century since December 2022, when he made 161 against New Zealand in Karachi.Since the start of 2023, he has averaged just 30.43 in Tests, more than 12 runs below his career average. In 39 innings during this period, he has managed only eight half-centuries, including an alarming 18-innings stretch in which he failed to score beyond 41.While four of those half-centuries have come in his last five Tests, his highest score since his last century remains 88, made in Pakistan’s win over the West Indies in the second Test of their tour last month.That victory ended Pakistan’s run of eight successive away Test defeats and marked their first overseas Test win since July 2023, but Azam's inability to convert promising starts into substantial scores remains a glaring concern.Form sparks wider debateAzam’s decline in form has become one of the most debated issues in Pakistan cricket, with former players and pundits frequently dissecting his technique and questioning his struggles in public forums.The debate intensified during Pakistan’s recent three-Test tour of England, where they were swept 3-0. England’s fast bowlers repeatedly exposed Azam's vulnerability against the short ball in the second and third Tests at Lord’s and Edgbaston. Azam missed the series opener at Headingley due to injury.Babar Azam Slams Fifty As Fans Wait For His First Test Century In Four Years During ENG Vs PAK 3rd Test; VIDEO Return to domestic cricketDespite his prolonged struggles, Azam has largely stayed away from domestic first-class cricket and was not included in any of the eight squads announced by the PCB for this season’s President’s Trophy and President’s Cup last week.In fact, Babar’s last appearance in a domestic first-class tournament came in 2019, when he captained the now-defunct Central Punjab to victory over Northern in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is set to return to the country’s domestic red-ball circuit for the first time since 2019, with the batter featuring for Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I, the department’s sports head Farah Batool confirmed to Dawn on Monday. Babar’s last domestic first-class appearance came when he led Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, beating Northern by an innings and 16 runs in the final on Dec 30, 2019. The batter, who was reappointed Pakistan’s Test captain in July, led the national side to a 1-1 draw against the West Indies and a 3-0 whitewash against England in his first two series in charge. “Babar will arrive back in Pakistan from the UK on Sept 16 and will join the OGDCL squad the next day,” Farah said. “His kit has been ordered.” OGDCL are currently playing Pakistan Television in their President’s Trophy opener in Islamabad. They will face Kingsmen Academy in Peshawar in their next match from Sept 18, followed by a fixture against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) from Sept 24. “Babar will decide upon his arrival if he plays from the second match or the third match,” Farah said. Dawn understands that Babar was offered to OGDCL by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a guest player. He joins a number of prominent Pakistan internationals featuring in the President’s Trophy amid the PCB’s recent push for established players to participate in domestic first-class cricket. Pakistan’s One-day International captain Shaheen Shah Afridi is representing KRL, while T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha is playing for Kingsmen Academy. Babar has long been criticised for distancing himself from domestic red-ball cricket during the years in which he rose to prominence as one of Pakistan’s leading batters. In the past four years, however, he has failed to score a century in Test cricket. He showed signs of a return to form during Pakistan’s recent tour of the West Indies, where he was named player of the series after topping the batting charts with 196 runs across the two matches. During the England series, however, Babar’s scores in his four innings were eight, six, seven and 76. He missed the opening Test because of injury.

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is set to return to the country’s domestic red-ball circuit for the first time since 2019, with the batter featuring for Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I, the department’s sports head Farah Batool confirmed to Dawn on Monday. Babar’s last domestic first-class appearance came when he led Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, beating Northern by an innings and 16 runs in the final on Dec 30, 2019. The batter, who was reappointed Pakistan’s Test captain in July, led the national side to a 1-1 draw against the West Indies and a 3-0 whitewash against England in his first two series in charge. “Babar will arrive back in Pakistan from the UK on Sept 16 and will join the OGDCL squad the next day,” Farah said. “His kit has been ordered.” OGDCL are currently playing Pakistan Television in their President’s Trophy opener in Islamabad. They will face Kingsmen Academy in Peshawar in their next match from Sept 18, followed by a fixture against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) from Sept 24. “Babar will decide upon his arrival if he plays from the second match or the third match,” Farah said. Dawn understands that Babar was offered to OGDCL by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a guest player. He joins a number of prominent Pakistan internationals featuring in the President’s Trophy amid the PCB’s recent push for established players to participate in domestic first-class cricket. Pakistan’s One-day International captain Shaheen Shah Afridi is representing KRL, while T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha is playing for Kingsmen Academy. Babar has long been criticised for distancing himself from domestic red-ball cricket during the years in which he rose to prominence as one of Pakistan’s leading batters. In the past four years, however, he has failed to score a century in Test cricket. He showed signs of a return to form during Pakistan’s recent tour of the West Indies, where he was named player of the series after topping the batting charts with 196 runs across the two matches. During the England series, however, Babar’s scores in his four innings were eight, six, seven and 76. He missed the opening Test because of injury.