Babar Azam to play domestic cricket after seven years amid poor red-ball form

Babar Azam (Pic: AFP

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam will return to domestic cricket as he looks to end his poor form in the longest format of the game. The star batter will feature for Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) as a guest player in the ongoing President's Trophy Grade 1 first-class competition.

Babar Azam recently approached the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to arrange a domestic spot, aiming to regain his form and improve his technique in red-ball conditions. The board subsequently arranged his entry into the OGDCL squad.

The move follows a difficult stretch in Test cricket for Azam, who has not scored an international hundred in the format since December 2022, when he made 161 against New Zealand in Karachi.

Since the start of 2023, his Test average has dropped to 30.43, more than 12 runs below his best career average. In 39 innings during this period, he has managed only eight half-centuries, including an 18-innings stretch in which he failed to score beyond 41.

Babar Azam's technical flaws highlighted during England tour

Although Babar Azam scored four half-centuries in his last five Tests, including a top score of 88 in Pakistan's victory over the West Indies last month, converting starts into match-winning hundreds remains an issue for the Pakistan skipper. That result against West Indies ended an eight-match away losing streak, giving Pakistan their first overseas Test victory since July 2023.

Babar's technical difficulties drew sharp criticism during Pakistan's recent three-Test tour of England, where the visitors suffered a 3-0 whitewash. After missing the opening match at Headingley through injury, Azam was repeatedly troubled by short-pitched bowling from England's pacers at Lord's and Edgbaston.

Despite these ongoing challenges, Azam had largely avoided domestic first-class matches and was initially omitted from the eight squads announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board for this season's President's Trophy and President's Cup.

Before joining OGDCL, Azam's last appearance in first-class domestic cricket was in 2019, when he led Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title against Northern. He now returns to the red-ball circuit seeking to rebuild his form after a poor England tour where his Pakistan team was whitewashed 3-0.

(With inputs from ANI)