Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has taken immediate steps to arrest a prolonged slump in form by returning to domestic red-ball cricket for the first time in seven years.
Following a difficult tour of England, the star batter has signed as a guest player for Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I competition. The arrangement was facilitated after Babar directly approached the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to secure regular match practice in the longest format.
Babar’s decision comes in the wake of a crushing 3-0 series defeat in England, where Pakistan suffered their first whitewash on English soil. Though he managed a resilient 76 off 103 balls in the final innings at Edgbaston, earlier scores of 8, 6, and 7 painted a grim picture of his current technical struggles. English seamers frequently exposed his vulnerability against the short ball, leaving the former world number one under intense scrutiny.
The international star has not played domestic first-class cricket since December 2019, when he led Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title. Critics have long faulted him for distancing himself from domestic red-ball fixtures, particularly given his recent statistical decline. Babar has not recorded a Test century since December 2022, when he made 161 against New Zealand in Karachi. Since 2023, his Test batting average has plummeted to 30.43 — a steep drop of 12.55 runs below his career baseline.
Farah Batool, head of sports at OGDCL, confirmed that Babar will arrive in Pakistan from the UK on 16 September and join the squad the following day. His playing kit has already been prepared, and he will decide upon arrival whether to feature in their second match against Kingsmen Academy from 18 September or their third fixture against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) on 24 September.
Babar joins a growing list of senior international players returning to domestic duty following a directive from the PCB. One-Day International captain Shaheen Shah Afridi is currently representing KRL, while T20 International skipper Salman Ali Agha is featuring for Kingsmen Academy.
