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Babar Azam leads Sydney Sixers to a win with a 58-run innings within the Big Bash League derby against Thunder, highlighting Pakistan stars in BBL.
Babar Azam is playing for Sydney Sixers in Big Bash League (X)
Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam’s rut in the continuing Big Bash League finally got here to an end on Saturday, December 20, when he smacked a 42-ball 58 to assist the Sydney Sixers post a whopping 198/5, which they were capable of defend against the Thunder in a Sydney derby on the Showground Stadium.
Having been put in to bat first, Daniel Hughes and Babar added 33 runs for the opening partnership before the previous was dismissed by Reece Topley.
Babar and wicketkeeper Josh Phillippe then built a match-winning 140-run partnership for the second wicket, before the previous was dismissed by Topley. Babar smacked five boundaries and two sixes during his knock.
The Sixers eventually posted 198/5, with Phillippe smacking a 57-ball 96.
Within the chase, Thunder found themselves at 45/4 within the eighth over before wicketkeeper Sam Billings and Shadab Khan added 49 runs for the fifth wicket.
But after Billings was dismissed by Jack Edwards, Thunder folded for a paltry 151, handing the Sixers a 47-run win. The latter picked five wickets.
Babar, ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are all plying their trade within the BBL, with most brought in through pre-arranged signings ahead of the draft or snapped up as first picks, as teams made a calculated push to take a position in Pakistan’s stars.
Much of the tournament’s promotion inside Australia has centred on this Pakistan contingent, with the BBL leaning on their marketability among the many nation’s sizeable Pakistani diaspora within the lead-up to the season.
It’s, perhaps, a curious moment to go all in on Pakistan, with the nation’s international stock at a low ebb. While they’ve won a record 21 T20Is this yr, lots of those wins got here against lower-profile opposition.
Eighteen victories were against Bangladesh, West Indies, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, while they managed just three wins from 11 games against Latest Zealand, India and South Africa.
December 20, 2025, 23:50 IST
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