Babar Azam Turns To Domestic Cricket After Seven Years Amid Test Struggle

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Pakistan Test skipper Babar Azam has turned to domestic cricket in a bid to regain form and sharpen his game in the longer format.

Azam is set to represent Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) as a guest player in the ongoing President's Trophy Grade 1 first-class tournament, Cricinfo reported.

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Azam had asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to facilitate his inclusion in a domestic side so he could remain in touch with red-ball cricket and work on his game. The PCB subsequently arranged his participation with OGDCL.

The 31-year-old has not scored a Test century since December 2022, when he made 161 against New Zealand in Karachi.

Since the start of 2023, Azam has averaged 30.43 in Tests, more than 12 runs below his career average. In 39 innings during that period, he has scored eight half-centuries, including an 18-innings stretch in which he failed to pass 41.

Four of those half-centuries have come in his last five Tests, but his highest score since his last century remains 88, made in Pakistan's win over the West Indies in the second Test last month.

The victory ended Pakistan's run of eight successive away Test defeats and marked their first overseas Test win since July 2023. Azam's failure to convert promising starts into substantial scores, however, remains a concern.

His form has been the subject of intense debate in Pakistan, with former players and pundits regularly scrutinising his technique and performances.

The debate intensified during Pakistan's recent three-Test tour of England, where they were swept 3-0. England's fast bowlers repeatedly exposed Azam's vulnerability against the short ball in the second and third Tests at Lord's and Edgbaston. He missed the series opener at Headingley because of injury.

Despite his struggles, Azam had largely stayed away from domestic first-class cricket and was not included in any of the eight squads announced by the PCB for this season's President's Trophy and President's Cup last week.

His last appearance in a domestic first-class tournament came in 2019, when he captained the now-defunct Central Punjab to victory over Northern in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final.

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