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LAHORE: Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has resumed training in Lahore after a brief stay in the United States following the ODI series against the West Indies.
On Friday, Babar hit the nets at a local cricket institute, where he also engaged in batting drills alongside young cricketers.
Sources indicate the right-hander could feature in a local tournament hosted by the institute as part of his preparations.
The 30-year-old endured a lean run in the recent ODI series in the Caribbean, managing only 56 runs in three outings, with a top score of 47.
This form slump comes amid a challenging phase in his career. He was left out of Pakistan’s announced T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, while his central contract was downgraded from Category A to B.
Last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled central contracts for 30 men’s cricketers, notably omitting Category A altogether. Instead, ten players each have been placed in Categories B, C, and D.
The pool has also been expanded from 27 to 30, with 12 new inclusions: Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufiyan Muqeem.
The newly announced contracts will remain valid from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
List of this year’s centrally contacted players:
Category B (10 players): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Category C (10 players): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel.
Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, and Sufiyan Muqeem.
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