Sixers opener recalled immediately by his country ahead of T20 series against Australia
Pakistan star Babar Azam will miss Friday’s do-or-die KFC BBL|15 Challenger final for the Sydney Sixers after being recalled by his country immediately ahead of their series against Australia next week.
It means Babar will be absent for the rest of the Sixers’ finals campaign should they beat Hobart at the SCG to set up a rematch with the Scorchers in Sunday’s BBL Final in Perth.
Pakistan are yet to announce their squad for next month’s T20 World Cup but face the Aussies in three 20-over internationals in Lahore from next Friday as a precursor to the global tournament.
In a statement this afternoon, Babar thanked Sixers fans, coaches and players for their support during his time with the club.
“I have very (much) enjoyed my time,” he said. “Unfortunately, I will now have to leave the team, to go to the national duty.
“I have a lot of things I have to take back home – a lot of fun, a lot of positive things, so I have enjoyed it a lot.
“Especially, thank you to the Sydney Sixers fans; there is always support there, lot of support, lot of encourage(ment), a lot of fun, so I have very enjoyed that vibe at Sydney Cricket Ground, so thank you so much.”
Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes added that Babar had made an outstanding contribution during his time with the club, but they “fully understood” Pakistan’s preparations for upcoming matches, which includes the World Cup, were now underway.
“The level of fan engagement generated by Babar’s passionate supporters has been exceptional, highlighted by the Babaristan stand at the SCG, which has been a memorable feature of our home matches this season,” she said.
Babar (4,429 runs) is the all-time leading scorer in men’s T20Is after overtaking India’s Rohit Sharma during Pakistan’s series against South Africa in November, but he hasn’t been able to reach the same heights in his first stint in the Big Bash.
The Sixers are the only team with a Pakistani player still alive in BBL|15 and Babar’s early departure perhaps eases a selection conundrum ahead of their clash with the Hurricanes.
While the 31-year-old has scored two half-centuries in his 202 runs opening the batting, his tournament strike rate of 103 is well below that of his teammates and opening partners Steve Smith (172) and Daniel Hughes (129).
Babar has only hit three sixes and his tournament strike rate is the lowest in Big Bash history among players to have scored more than 200 runs in a season.
Commentator and former Australian batter Mark Waugh called for the Sixers to drop Babar when speaking on Fox Cricket prior to Wednesday’s Hurricanes-Stars Knockout match.
“They need to rejiggle their batting, because at the moment it’s almost entirely reliant on Steve Smith,” Waugh said.
“At the moment there’s not a lot of players in form, so I’m bringing in either (Daniel) Hughes or (Jordan) Silk.
“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to drop Babar Azam, I don’t think he’s done enough at the top of the order. I know he’s world-class, but you’re thinking about winning this tournament, and so far he just hasn’t done (enough).
“I’m thinking about a new opener.”
Veteran left-hander Hughes would be a direct swap at the top of the order having hit 60 earlier in the tournament opening alongside Babar, while captain Moises Henriques could also shift up to the top like he did against Stars on January 8 if the Sixers wanted to get Silk back in the middle order.
Both Hughes and Silk played in the Sixers’ most recent BBL title wins in BBL|09 and |10.
But like Perth Scorchers have done this season in backing their younger players such Mahli Beardman, Brody Coucy and Cooper Connolly, the Sixers also appear to have entrusted their next generation with greater responsibility with young guns Lachy Shaw, Joel Davies and Jack Edwards getting consistent game time.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Edwards said at the SCG today, “(we’re) seeing the future that’s there in Joel Davies and Lachy Shaw.
“We got thrown in the deep end the other night (in the Qualifier loss to the Scorchers) and didn’t quite handle as well as we could have. But it’s a learning opportunity and all we can do is take something away from it, try and get better and if we get put in that situation tomorrow night, hopefully we can take it.”
BBL|15 finals schedule
Qualifier: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 48 runs
Knockout: Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Stars by three runs (DLS method)
Challenger: Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes, SCG (Friday, January 23, 7.15pm AEDT)
Final: Perth Scorchers v winner of Challenger, Optus Stadium (Sunday, January 25, 7.15pm AEDT)
*A reserve day on Monday, January 26 (7.15pm AEDT) is available for the Final
KFC BBL|15 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1
SCO
10
7
3
0
0
1.363
0
14
2
SIX
10
6
3
0
1
0.605
0
13
3
HUR
10
6
3
0
1
0.331
0
13
4
STA
10
6
4
0
0
0.759
0
12
5
HEA
10
5
5
0
0
-0.431
0
10
6
STR
10
4
6
0
0
-0.231
0
8
7
REN
10
3
7
0
0
-1.202
0
6
8
THU
10
2
8
0
0
-1.212
0
4
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
