Babar Azam’s BBL humiliation peaks as Sydney Sixers ship him back to Pakistan before finals

Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been recalled to the national setup and will return home to begin preparations for upcoming international assignments. The senior batter will miss the remainder of the Big Bash League Finals Series, making him unavailable for the do-or-die Challenger final for the Sydney Sixers.

Pakistan have not yet named their squad for next month’s T20 World Cup. They will finalize their squad for the tournament with a three-match T20I series against Australia in Lahore starting next Friday. Notably, Babar struggled to score runs throughout the BBL season and faced criticism for his strike rate.

I Have Very Much Enjoyed My Time - Babar Azam After Being Ruled Out of BBL Finals

Babar Azam has shared an emotional message after confirming his departure from the Sydney Sixers to return for national duties. The senior batter thanked the fans, teammates, and support staff for backing him during his stint with the club.

"I have very (much) enjoyed my time," he said. "Unfortunately, I will now have to leave the team, to go to the national duty.

"I have a lot of things I have to take back home – a lot of fun, a lot of positive things, so I have enjoyed it a lot.

"Especially, thank you to the Sydney Sixers fans; there is always support there, lot of support, lot of encourage(ment), a lot of fun, so I have very enjoyed that vibe at Sydney Cricket Ground, so thank you so much."

Babar’s Big Bash Struggles For Sydney Sixers

Babar Azam is the highest run-scorer in men’s T20Is with 4,429 runs, having surpassed Rohit Sharma during the South Africa series in November. However, his first stint in the Big Bash League did not live up to expectations, with returns falling short of his international standards.

The Sydney Sixers are the only BBL side still in contention to feature a Pakistani player, and Babar’s early exit could ease selection decisions ahead of their clash with the Hobart Hurricanes.

The 31-year-old scored 202 runs as an opener, including two half-centuries, but his strike rate of 103 drew criticism. His opening partners, Steve Smith and Daniel Hughes, struck at 172 and 129 respectively.

Babar hit just three sixes in the tournament. His strike rate is also the lowest in Big Bash history among players who have scored more than 200 runs in a single season.

I'm Going to Have to Drop Babar Azam - Mark Waugh

Former Australia batter and commentator Mark Waugh believes the Sydney Sixers should make changes to their batting lineup. Speaking on Fox Cricket, Waugh said that the Sixers rely too heavily on Steve Smith and lack form from other batters.

"They need to rejiggle their batting, because at the moment it's almost entirely reliant on Steve Smith. At the moment there's not a lot of players in form, so I'm bringing in either (Daniel) Hughes or (Jordan) Silk," Waugh said.

"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to drop Babar Azam, I don't think he's done enough at the top of the order. I know he's world-class, but you're thinking about winning this tournament, and so far he just hasn't done (enough). I'm thinking about a new opener."

Click here to read article