After England’s failure, Babar Azam embarked on his first home first-class match in seven years

Babar Azam turns to domestic cricket after 7 years (ANI Image) Pakistan captain Babar Azam will return to domestic first-class cricket for the first time in nearly seven years, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) keen to see him back in action after Pakistan’s disappointing Test tour of England.Babar will represent Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) against Kingsmen Academy in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I competition starting on 18 September. His return comes after Pakistan suffered a 0-3 series in England and the PCB made sweeping changes to the touring team and coaching staff.

PCB wants Babar back in red ball cricket

Babar has not played domestic first-class cricket since 2019 when he represented Central Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. OGDCL sports chief Farah Batool said the PCB had sent his name to the team for inclusion as a guest player.“Babar’s kit has been ordered and he will decide whether to play the match from September 18 or from September 24 in the third round,” Batool said.

Shaheen, Haris among centrally contracted players in action

Babar is not the only centrally contracted Pakistani player to play red-ball domestic cricket after the England tour. Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf also featured for their teams in the President’s Trophy.Shaheen represented KRL and claimed four wickets in the innings while Haris took five wickets for PTV. Haris, who has only played one Test, against England in 2022 when he suffered an injury after 13 overs, has expressed his willingness to return to Pakistan’s Test set-up.“If I can be useful for Pakistan with my pace, I would like to play Test cricket,” he said.The fast bowler, who is primarily known for his performances in T20s, has refused to play the Test series in Australia in December 2023, citing the need to manage his workload. His central contract was also suspended for a period of time before being renewed.

Babar’s captaincy under scrutiny after England whitewash

Babar was reappointed as Pakistan’s Test captain in July and has since overseen a 1–1 series draw against the West Indies and a 0–3 defeat by England. The PCB’s decision to make seven changes to the team and remove head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul after the second Test at Lord’s reportedly came without consulting or informing Babar.Pakistan’s defeat in the second Test came within three days, prompting major changes ahead of the final match of the series.