Babar Azam has joined OGDCL for the third round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I, marking his return to first-class cricket after nearly seven years.
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has returned to domestic first-class cricket after nearly seven years away from the format, joining the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) squad for the third round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I. Babar has linked up with OGDCL ahead of their four-day fixture against Khan Research Laboratories at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.
The third round of the President’s Trophy began on September 24, with matches taking place in Islamabad, Abbottabad and Peshawar. Several Pakistan Test and Under-19 players have also joined their departmental sides, strengthening the competition as the domestic first-class season progresses.
Babar’s return is particularly notable because his last first-class appearance came in December 2019, when he captained Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title. Since then, he has concentrated primarily on international cricket and limited-overs competitions, making this his first domestic first-class appearance in almost seven years.
The Pakistan batter is joining OGDCL as a guest player. The department’s sports head Farah Batool had previously confirmed that Babar would be available from the third round and was expected to play at least the third and fourth rounds of the competition. His inclusion gives OGDCL additional experience and strengthens their batting lineup for the ongoing tournament.
Babar will not be the only international player added to OGDCL for the latest round. Fast bowler Razaullah has also joined the team ahead of the KRL match. Other departmental sides have similarly added national players, with SNGPL bringing in Naseem Shah and Abdullah Shafique, while Saud Shakeel has joined Kingsmen Academy.
For Babar, the domestic matches provide an opportunity to spend extended time at the crease in four-day cricket. The return also comes after Pakistan’s recent Test series against England, giving the batter an opportunity for competitive red-ball cricket before future international assignments.
OGDCL entered the third round with 31 points after two matches, including a victory over Kingsmen Academy in the second round. Their meeting with KRL in Abbottabad will therefore attract significant attention, with Babar’s return being one of the major talking points of the latest President’s Trophy round.
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