As Pakistan spirals in WTC, Babar Azam returns to domestic cricket for first time in 7 years

Babar Azam is set to return to Pakistan's domestic red-ball cricket for the first time since 2019. His return comes after a prolonged lean run in Test cricket and Pakistan's 3-0 series defeat to England.

In Short

• Pakistan were recently whitewashed by Joe Root's England in a 3-match Test series
• Babar Azam will return to Pakistan's domestic first-class cricket after seven years
• The Test captain has averaged 22, 20 and 31 across the last three calendar years

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is set to return to the country's domestic red-ball cricket for the first time in seven years. The development, reported by The Dawn, comes in the aftermath of Pakistan's tumultuous outing in the three-match Test series against England, where they suffered a 3-0 whitewash.

Babar's own batting in the Test format has been under scrutiny for several years. He averaged just 22, 20 and 31 in Tests across the 2023, 2024 and 2025 calendar years, respectively.

Despite his prolonged struggles in the format, Babar has not returned to domestic first-class cricket since 2019. His last 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 December 30, 2019.

Now, almost seven years later, Babar is set to return to the domestic red-ball circuit with Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in the ongoing President's Trophy Grade-I.

The department's sports head Farah Batool confirmed to The Dawn that Babar will join the OGDCL squad after returning to Pakistan from the UK on September 16.

“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.”

Babar's involvement may not begin immediately, however. OGDCL are currently playing Pakistan Television in their President's Trophy opener in Islamabad. They will then face Kingsmen Academy in Peshawar from September 18, followed by a fixture against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) from September 24.

“Babar will decide upon his arrival if he plays from the second match or the third match,” Farah said.

The Dawn reported that Babar was offered to OGDCL by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a guest player.

His return comes amid the PCB's push to get established Pakistan internationals involved in domestic first-class cricket. Pakistan's white-ball captains are also featuring in the competition, with ODI skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi representing KRL and T20I captain Salman Ali Agha playing for Kingsmen Academy.

BABAR'S TEST BATTING UNDER SCRUTINY

Babar was reappointed Pakistan's Test captain in July, but his second stint in charge has begun with a mixed set of results. Pakistan drew their two-Test series against the West Indies 1-1 before suffering a 3-0 whitewash against England.

The captain's own batting has also remained a major talking point.

Babar has not scored a Test century in the last four years. He showed signs of a return to form during Pakistan's tour of the West Indies, where he was named player of the series after topping the batting charts with 196 runs across the two Tests.

The England series, however, brought another difficult chapter. Babar missed the opening Test because of injury before returning to score eight, six, seven and 76 in his four innings across the next two matches.

His return to domestic red-ball cricket therefore comes at an important juncture in his career.

For the first time since 2019, Babar will have the chance to spend time in the longer format away from the pressure of international cricket. With Pakistan's Test fortunes under serious scrutiny and his own batting numbers falling well below his previous standards, the President's Trophy could provide the former No. 1-ranked batter with an opportunity to rediscover his rhythm in the format.

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