Babar Azam is set to make an appearance in a domestic first-class match for the first time since 2019. He is lined up to represent the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) team against Kingsmen Academy in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I competition from September 18. After the Pakistan Cricket Board’s much-debated decision to sack seven players mid-series during the Tour of England, it seems to have rattled the top players. Several international players have lined up to play for domestic teams.
But you also have to create the right atmosphere for those players,” Shehzad said during a discussion with Geo News. That is where their technique gets exposed,” he said. “The more mistakes you continue to make in domestic cricket, the further the Pakistan team will keep going down.”
Babar is not the only centrally contracted player appearing in domestic red-ball cricket following the disastrous tour to England. Others, such as fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf , who hardly play any first-class matches at home, have already appeared for different teams in the President’s Trophy. “There is no doubt that having Pakistan’s international players playing domestic cricket is a very good thing. “The first thing you have to look at is where your national team is struggling. Pakistan struggle on slightly quicker pitches where there is some lateral movement.
