Babar Azam left red-faced after Steve Smith incident ends in embarrassing dismissal in Big Bash League
Babar Azam had a tough time in the Big Bash League as his on-field conversation with Steve Smith went viral and subsequently resulted in an embarrassing dismissal. The rejected run, visible disappointment, and sudden exit sparked widespread debate among fans, and the clip quickly trended on social media.
Babar Azam was unhappy with Steve Smith’s decision to deny a single off the last ball of the 11th over and his disappointment was clearly evident after he was dismissed off the next ball he faced in the 13th over. Babar bowled the last ball of the 11th over to long-on, but Smith denied the single as he looked to bat in the 12th over. The Sydney Sixers opted for a power surge that allowed only two court players outside the circle for the Sydney Thunder. Smith took advantage of the opportunity and scored 32 runs off the over bowling of Ryan Hadley.
In the last ball of the over, Smith and Babar scored two runs and Babar faced the first ball of the 13th over. Unfortunately the right-handed batsman was bowled by Nathan McAndrew in the first ball and ended his innings with 47 from 39 balls. His anger was palpable as he hit the boundary rope pad with his stick as he walked back to the tent.
“I wasn’t happy, Babar.”
Drama ensued at the SCG after Steve Smith turned away Babar Azam’s run only to be bowled during the Power Surge. #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/rTh0RXE0A5
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 16, 2026
In response to the decision to take the surge after the 11th round, Smith commented: “Yeah, we talked over 10 and they said get the Surge now. And I said no, give me another one. I want to hit the short cap and I don’t want to blow the first one. And I tried to get 30 off that. I think we got 32.”
“So it’s a good result. I’m not sure Babar is too happy about me getting that single back. (In their next game against Heat) Yeah, I think it’s a must-win game for us. So yeah, it’s a big game. I’m looking forward to going out there and yeah, hopefully we can put on another show,” he added.
With Smith and Babar combining for 141 runs for the first wicket, the Sixers started chasing the target of 190 with a fantastic opening partnership. However, they quickly lost wickets after Babar’s dismissal and at one point found themselves 169 to 5 behind. Lachlan Shaw and Jack Edwards then stepped up and added 21 runs for the sixth wicket to secure victory for the Sixers, who now have 5 wins from nine matches.
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