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Babar Azam’s Sydney Sixers exit put him on top of the list for an embarrassing Big Bash League record.
Babar Azam had a forgettable campaign within the BBL.
(PC: @SixersBBL)
Pakistan star Babar Azam left the Sydney Sixers camp for national duty on Thursday and could be unavailable for the rest of the Big Bash League (BBL) finals. The franchise confirmed the event on Thursday, lower than 24 hours before their Challenger clash against Hobart Hurricanes.
Babar was originally expected to be available for your complete tournament, having not been chosen in Pakistan’s T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month. Nonetheless, with Pakistan starting preparations for upcoming international commitments, the 29-year-old was recalled and departed Australia immediately.
For another team, losing one in every of their marquee players at such an important juncture could be an enormous blow. But for the Sixers, it is perhaps a blessing in disguise.
One stat explains it best.
Babar finished the tournament with 202 runs in 11 matches at a mean of twenty-two.44. His strike-rate of 103.06 is the lowest ever in BBL history for any batter with over 200 runs in a season.
Lowest strike-rate in a BBL season (minimum 200 runs)
| Strike Rate | Player | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103.06 | Babar Azam | Sydney Sixers | BBL 15 |
| 105.21 | Nathan McSweeney | Brisbane Heat | BBL 13 |
| 106.04 | Jonathan Wells | Adelaide Strikers | BBL 10 |
| 106.25 | Alex Ross | Brisbane Heat | BBL 6 |
| 107.03 | Jake Weatherald | Adelaide Strikers | BBL 11 |
“To begin with, thanks a lot Sydney Sixers for having me, all of the boys, all of the coaches and I even have very (sic) enjoyed my time,” Babar said in an announcement. “Unfortunately, I’ll now have to depart the team, to go to the national duty. “I even have lots of things I even have to take back home- lots of fun, lots of positive things, so I even have enjoyed it quite a bit. Especially, thanks to the Sydney Sixers fans there’s at all times support there, lot of support, lot of encourage (sic), lots of fun, so I even have very enjoyed that vibe at Sydney Cricket Ground, so thanks a lot.”
Sixers management acknowledged that the timing of the call-up was unexpected but said the club understood the importance of national duties.
Nonetheless, they were already being urged to drop the Pakistani star, and the best run-scorer of the T20I format, as a consequence of his poor returns. Recently, Babar was on the flawed end of an argument when teammate Steve Smith denied him the strike during a match.
Miffed, Babar had smacked the boundary rope on his way back to the pavilion and was said to have isolated himself from his teammates for hours. Sixers captain Moises Henriques had revealed that it took ‘a few days’ for Babar to settle.
“It took a few days for that to cool down,” Henriques told Fox Cricket. “To be honest, think it’s only a little bit of a misunderstanding of culture of one another. It’s a reasonably common thing in our culture, and perhaps for him (Babar) he wasn’t used to it and didn’t quite understand. Once it was explained to him he was absolutely high quality. They’ve kissed and made up and it’s two of the greats back friendly again.”
Veteran opener Daniel Hughes has been drafted back into the Sixers squad for the Challenger.
January 23, 2026, 09:46 IST
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