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Babar Azam slammed his bat into the boundary cushion while walking off, his frustration boiling over after the earlier denial.
Babar Azam's visible anger stole the spotlight in the Big Bash League's Sydney derby, overshadowing even Steve Smith's explosive century. The Pakistan star's frustrated reaction after being denied a run and then dismissed highlighted tensions in the high-stakes chase.
Fielding mishap sparks early unease
The drama began in the field during Sydney Thunder's innings. A straight drive from Nic Maddinson led to confusion between long-off Steve Smith and long-on Babar Azam. Smith expected Babar to stop the ball, but hesitation allowed a boundary. Smith threw his arms up in disbelief, with commentators joking about the mix-up. This set a tense tone for their partnership later.
Denied single ignites frustration
Chasing 190, Babar and Smith built a strong 141-run opening stand. In the 11th over, Babar faced three dots before nudging the final ball for an easy single. Smith, at the non-striker's end, refused it to retain strike ahead of the Power Surge. Babar looked stunned, shaking his head as the pair exchanged words.
Power surge brilliance followed by quick exit
Steve Smith's tactic paid off spectacularly. Calling the Power Surge, he smashed Ryan Hadley for four consecutive sixes and a four, totalling a BBL-record 32 runs in the over. Momentum swung decisively to the Sixers. Tragically for Babar, the next ball he faced, from Nathan McAndrew, clean-bowled him for 47 off 39 balls (seven fours).
Furious, Babar slammed his bat into the boundary cushion while walking off, his frustration boiling over after the earlier denial.
Steve Smith's masterclass seals victory
Smith powered on to a stunning 41-ball century (nine sixes, five fours), finishing unbeaten as Sixers chased 191/5 with 16 balls left, winning by five wickets. Earlier, David Warner's unbeaten 110 off 58 balls lifted Thunder to 189/6.
Post-match, Smith reflected light-heartedly: "Yeah, so we spoke at the 10-over mark and they said, take the Surge straight away. I was like, no, give it one over. I want to hit to the short boundary... And I'm not sure Babar was too happy with me knocking back that single though."
The incident went viral, with fans debating team dynamics. While Smith's aggression delivered victory and boosted Sixers' playoff hopes, Babar's raw emotion highlighted the pressures of big chases and shared strike.
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