The fallout from the Big Bash League (BBL) fixture between the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder continues. Playing for the Sixers, Babar Azam and Steve Smith put on 141 runs for the opening wicket; however, the partnership between the two will now always be remembered for Smith denying the single to the former Pakistan captain as the legendary Australia batter opted to keep strike to make the most of the power surge. After being refused the single on the final ball of an over, Babar soon after ended up losing his wicket, and he displayed his anger in front of the world by smashing the advertising cushioning.
Babar Azam and Steve Smith were involved in a 100+ stand in the BBL against Sydney Thunder.
Now, a new report in Code Sports has revealed that the tense scenes were witnessed after the game as well. It is important to note that after the Sydney Sixers won the match, Babar was nowhere to be seen, and now details have emerged about what happened once play ended at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Code Sports report cited sources to reveal that the matter did not close on the pitch, as the Sixers’ dressing room was under high tension. Babar did not take kindly to Smith’s denial of the single, telling the rest of his teammates he felt “disrespected” by it.
Speaking of the incident, it happened on the final ball of the 11th over. Smith decided to deny the single because he wanted to make the most of the Power Surge. For the unversed, Power Surge is an option given to the teams in the Big Bash League to exploit fielding restrictions in the second half of their batting innings.
Smith was clearly striking the ball better than Babar, and hence he made the bold call to deny the latter a single when he was nearing a half-century. The strategy also paid off as Smith hit 32 runs in the very next over, and he went on to hit a well-deserved century.
Smith’s admission
After winning the Player of the Match accolade, Smith himself admitted that Babar was not “too happy” with the call to deny him a single. However, he explained himself, saying his choice was purely tactical as he wanted to make the most of Power Surge.
Speaking of the 37th match of the BBL, the Sixers came up with a five-wicket win against the Thunder after chasing down the target of 190 with 16 balls to spare.
Smith hit 100 runs off 42 balls as he batted with a strike rate of more than 200, while Babar scored 47 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of 120.51.
Despite the ongoing tensions between Babar and Smith, the former has been named in the playing XI for the next fixture against Brisbane Heat, set to be played on Sunday, January 18.