Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam endured a disappointing return to first-class cricket as he was dismissed for just 12 runs during the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I match at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Babar, representing Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), made his return to first-class cricket after a gap of seven years.
The 31-year-old last featured in the format for the now-defunct Central Punjab, whom he led to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title.
However, his comeback innings against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) lasted only 20 balls before fast bowler Arshad Iqbal dismissed him with a bouncer.
Babar attempted to take on the short delivery but failed to make a significant contribution in his first competitive red-ball appearance in seven years.
The Pakistan captain had returned to domestic first-class cricket with the aim of getting valuable time in the longer format amid a prolonged struggle for runs in Test cricket.
Babar Azam dismissed by a bouncer in his first domestic match after 7 years. pic.twitter.com/qwYkcfJJun
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) September 26, 2026
Babar has not scored a Test century since December 2022, while his numbers in the format have declined considerably since the beginning of 2023.
Since then, he has averaged 30.43 in Test cricket and managed only eight half-centuries across his last 39 innings.
His first-class comeback was therefore viewed as an opportunity to regain confidence and rhythm in red-ball cricket, but the early dismissal has extended the wait for a substantial score.
