Babar Azam was removed for 21 runs off 39 deliveries on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, during a President’s Trophy Grade-I match at Islamabad’s Diamond Cricket Ground. On the opening day of the match between OGDCL and State Bank of Pakistan, Afaq Afridi dismissed Babar with an LBW decision.

At the time of Babar Azam departure, OGDCL was in a difficult situation because they had decided to bat first and were 113-4. After the 31-year-old was dismissed, fans flocked to the ground to take selfies with him, capturing the audience’s attention. Before play could resume, ground personnel needed to intervene and restore order.

During the tour, Babar made his second home appearance in seven years, demonstrating how rarely he had played in Pakistan’s elite circuit during his international career.

How has Babar Azam performed so far in his domestic comeback?

Babar Azam’s comeback to domestic cricket began on September 24-27, 2026, with an Abbottabad President’s Trophy match against Khan Research Laboratories. In that game, he scored 12 runs off 20 balls in the first inning and only four in the second, for a total of 16 runs in both innings.

In the three innings he has played since returning to domestic cricket, his highest individual score is 21 on September 30. Throughout those three innings, Babar has scored 12, 4, and 21 runs in that order, but none of the three hits have demonstrated that he has built a consistent first-class rhythm.

Prior to his return, he made his first-class debut in December 2019, leading Central Punjab to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy win. The modest returns he has achieved in Abbottabad and Islamabad are essential contextualised by the almost seven-year gap between those outings and his current run of contests.

What happens to Babar Azam once he is fired from Islamabad?

Babar Azam is among the top international names listed in a franchise T20 league player auction scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 2026, in Dubai. Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, and Faf du Plessis are among the other well-known players expected to be sold in the DP World ILT20 auction, which is in its fifth season.

Also Read :  Mohammad Rizwan Demands Probe Clarity and Return of Phone from NCCIA

His franchise T20 future for the upcoming season will be decided almost immediately following his most recent domestic outing, as the auction is set to take place the day after his dismissal from Islamabad. Due to the proximity of the two events, franchise representatives in Dubai will be closely monitoring Babar’s availability and shape.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

1 COMMENT

Comments are closed.