Australian batter Steve Smith has explained the reason behind his decision not to take a single off the final ball of an over played by teammate Babar Azam during a Big Bash League (BBL) match for Sydney Sixers.

The incident occurred on Friday during Sydney Sixers’ chase against Sydney Thunder, when Babar Azam appeared visibly unhappy after Smith declined a single on the last ball of the 11th over. A video of the moment went viral on social media, showing Babar playing a stroke while Smith chose not to run, ensuring that he would remain on strike for the next over.

At the time, Babar had faced three consecutive dot balls in the 11th over and was keen to rotate the strike by taking a single on the final delivery so he could face the next over himself. However, Smith’s refusal led to clear frustration from the Pakistani batter.

Smith went on to justify his decision with an explosive response. In the following over, he smashed four sixes and a boundary, collecting 32 runs in a single over and shifting the momentum decisively in Sixers’ favor.
Smith eventually scored a blistering century, making 100 runs off just 42 balls, while Babar Azam contributed 47 runs from 39 deliveries. Sydney Sixers comfortably chased down Sydney Thunder’s 190-run target in the 18th over.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Smith revealed the conversation he had with Babar regarding the incident. Responding to a question from the presenter, Smith said that after the 10th over, Babar had suggested taking the Power Surge — a two-over batting powerplay in the BBL.

“I asked Babar to give me one more over,” Smith explained. “I told him I wanted to take the Power Surge towards the shorter boundary and try to score around 30 runs.”

Smith admitted that Babar was not pleased with his decision to turn down the single, but the strategy ultimately paid off.

In the Big Bash League, the Power Surge consists of two additional overs during which the fielding side is allowed to have only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, creating greater boundary-scoring opportunities for batters. The batting team can take the Power Surge at any point between the 11th and 20th overs.