Horror Down Under! Babar Azam flops again, dismissed for a duck in all-important BBL Qualifier
Babar Azam continued to disappoint in his maiden Big Bash League (BBL) campaign. The Pakistan batter was dismissed without troubling the scorers in the Sydney Sixers' crucial Qualifier clash against the Perth Scorchers.
New Delhi: Nothing is going Babar Azam's way in the Big Bash League 2025-26 season. Regarded as one of the greatest batters of the modern era, Babar has endured a forgettable outing in the 15th edition of the BBL, Australia's premier domestic T20 competition.
On Tuesday, he had the chance to redeem himself in the all-important Qualifier between the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers at the Perth Stadium. Instead, things went from bad to worse for the Pakistani batting icon.
Opening the batting with Australian legend Steve Smith in chase of 148, Babar was dismissed in the first over by Australia and Punjab Kings spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly for a duck.
Babar undone by the Connolly-Inglis combination
Babar's short stay at the crease, which lasted just a few minutes and two balls, was ended by a superb piece of wicket-keeping by Josh Inglis. Beaten by the flight and the turn, Babar was quick to drag his foot back inside the crease. But to his misfortune, Inglis was slightly quicker.
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) keeper-batter made a lightning-quick stumping to beat Babar by millimetres and inflict an early blow to the Sixers.
Brought in by the Sixers in the pre-tournament draft in June 2025, Babar's maiden campaign has been a challenging one. The seasoned batter has struggled for form and consistency and has been questioned over his inability to play an attacking brand of cricket.
Babar's worrying stats
In 11 innings, Babar has amassed only 202 runs at a lowly average of 22.44 with two fifties. In a format where aggressive batting is a necessity more than a requirement, and batters consistently exceeding a strike rate of 170, Babar's strike rate of 103.06 has no place in the fast-paced and unrelenting world of T20 cricket.
Like Babar, his Pakistan compatriot Mohammad Rizwan, too, has struggled to find form in the ongoing BBL. His biggest negative, too, has been a dismal strike rate of 102.74.