Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has confirmed that former Pakistan captain Babar Azam needed several days to move on following a moment of tension with Steve Smith during the Big Bash League.
The incident took place on January 16 during the Sixers’ must-win match against Brisbane Heat. Babar called for a single off the final ball of the 11th over, but Smith chose not to run, keen to make full use of the Power Surge.
Smith then dominated the next over, scoring a record 32 runs, including four successive sixes. Babar was dismissed in the following over and showed his frustration by striking the boundary cushion with his bat on his way back to the pavilion.
He stayed in the dressing room for the remainder of the match and did not return to the field with his teammates.
Speaking ahead of the Sixers’ qualifier against Perth Scorchers, Henriques said the matter required time to settle.
“It took a couple of days for that to settle down,” he told Fox Cricket. “It was a misunderstanding of each other’s culture.”
Henriques said such decisions are common in Australian cricket and that Babar initially found it difficult to relate to the situation.
“Once it was explained to him, he was fine. They have kissed and made up,” he added.
Henriques and Sixers coach Greg Shipperd both spoke with Babar to help him move past the episode.
“We could see he was upset with what happened on the field, so we needed to understand why he felt that way. Once we did, everything was fine,” Henriques said.
Babar has endured a difficult BBL campaign, scoring 202 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 103.06. His struggles continued in the qualifier, where he was dismissed for a two-ball duck during the Sixers’ chase of 148 against the Scorchers.
