On Day 3 of the ongoing match between Oil and Gas Development Company Limited and Khan Research Laboratories on Saturday, September 26, Babar Azam’s seven-year hiatus from first-class cricket came to an abrupt and disappointing conclusion. While playing for his team in the third round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, the 31-year-old was removed for just 12 runs.
Before being caught by Abdul Faseeh off a bouncer from Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam faced twenty deliveries, hit two boundaries, and scored at a strike rate of 60.00. After his departure, OGDCL was chasing KRL’s total of 398 at 46-4 in their first innings, putting them in serious trouble.
Babar Azam was dismissed for just 12 runs
This was one of the most anticipated games of the President’s Trophy Grade-I season because Babar Azam hadn’t played in domestic first-class cricket since December 2019. After being denied the chance to bat on the first two days of the match, he arrived to the crease on the third day.
When Babar Azam tried to play a short-pitched delivery from Arshad Iqbal, Abdul Faseeh caught him in the field, ending Babar’s innings. A hitter who had been off the domestic first-class circuit for more than seven years was accounted for by the bouncer.
Babar Azam is GONE! 🔥
7 years of waiting to play First Class cricket again… and he’s out for just 12 runs off 20 balls! 😭
Arshad Iqbal is ON FIRE!🔥 https://t.co/hECRwFiBG7
— Humais khan (@Humireacts) September 26, 2026
During OGDCL’s first innings, Arshad Iqbal was KRL’s most threatening bowler, taking three of the four wickets that fell by the time the score reached 46. OGDCL faced a difficult assignment to avoid the follow-on against a team that had scored 398 in their first innings after his spell solidified KRL’s control of the game.
Throughout the game, Babar Azam’s presence at the stadium aroused a great deal of popular curiosity. During play, fans flocked to the pitch to greet him, demonstrating the level of attention his return home garnered in Pakistan.
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In December 2019, he made his first-class debut for a domestic team during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final. This President’s Trophy match was much more than a typical third-round match because of the seven-year hiatus from that format. Given how long Babar had been absent from Pakistan’s domestic first-class stage, the occasion held obvious significance despite the short length of his innings and the challenging situation it left OGDCL in.
