Babar Azam to rejoin domestic red‑ball cricket with OGDCL after England tour

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam will return to domestic red-ball cricket in Pakistan with Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), rejoining the squad after he arrives back from the United Kingdom on Sept 16 and is due to link up with the team the following day, according to OGDCL officials.

Babar has not played first-class cricket in Pakistan since December 30, 2019, when he led Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title by beating Northern by an innings and 16 runs in the final; his recent Test form has been under scrutiny, with calendar-year averages of 22, 20 and 31 in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively.

Farah Batool, the department's sports head, confirmed Babar's arrival and selection to The Dawn, saying: “Babar will arrive back in Pakistan from the UK on Sept 16 and will join the OGDCL squad the next day.” She also told the paper: “His kit has been ordered.”

OGDCL began their President's Trophy Grade-I campaign with a match against Pakistan Television in Islamabad and are scheduled to play Kingsmen Academy in Peshawar from September 18 and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) from September 24; Farah said: “Babar will decide upon his arrival if he plays from the second match or the third match.”

The Dawn reported the Pakistan Cricket Board offered Babar to OGDCL as a guest player as part of a PCB initiative to involve established internationals in domestic first-class cricket, and other senior Pakistan players are participating — ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi is representing KRL and T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is playing for Kingsmen Academy.

Babar was reappointed Pakistan's Test captain in July and has overseen mixed results, with Pakistan drawing a two-Test series against the West Indies 1-1 before suffering a 3-0 whitewash in the subsequent three-match series against England.

On personal form, Babar has not recorded a Test century in the last four years; he was named player of the series in the West Indies after scoring 196 runs across the two Tests, but in England he missed the opening Test through injury and then registered scores of 8, 6, 7 and 76 in his four innings across the next two matches.

Babar will return to Pakistan on Sept 16 and may make his first domestic first-class appearance since 2019 either in OGDCL's Peshawar fixture beginning Sept 18 or in the match against KRL starting Sept 24, depending on his selection decision upon arrival.