Steve Smith avoided taking a single on the final delivery to keep Babar Azam off strike. Is confidence in Pakistani players decreasing among Big Bash teams? Sydney Sixers captain Steve Smith chose not to run a single on the last ball so that Babar Azam would not face the next over.
In the following over, Steve Smith smashed four sixes and one four to collect 30 runs, with two additional runs coming as extras. Babar Azam appeared unhappy after Smith declined the single.
A few days earlier, Mohammad Rizwan was also asked by his captain to retire out and return to the pavilion. In the current Big Bash season, Babar Azam has a strike rate of 107.48, while Mohammad Rizwan’s strike rate stands at 101.19.
Meanwhile, powered by Steve Smith’s aggressive century, Sydney Sixers defeated Sydney Thunder by five wickets in the Big Bash T20 League.
Sydney Thunder batted first and scored 189 runs for the loss of six wickets. In reply, the Sixers chased down the target by scoring 191 runs for five wickets, reaching the total with 16 balls to spare. Babar Azam contributed a solid innings of 47 runs.
David Warner’s unbeaten century of 110 runs for Sydney Thunder went in vain.
