Babar Azam bags shameful duck, gets ‘Babar-Azamed’ in BBL Qualifier as Sydney Sixers career ends

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Babar Azam Bags Shameful Duck Gets Babar Azamed In BBL Qualifier As Sydney Sixers Career Ends 1

Cooper Connolly has provided a crucial breakthrough for the Perth Scorchers by removing Sydney Sixers opener Babar Azam for a duck in the ongoing Big Bash League 2025-26 Qualifier at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Tuesday, January 20.

Cooper Connolly strikes early as Babar Azam falls for a duck

Babar Azam was trusted for the BBL 2025-26 Qualifier despite his inconsistent performance, but he failed to live up to expectations. The former Pakistan captain could survive only one delivery before making a fool of himself on the second delivery of the Sydney Sixers’ chase in Perth.

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Connolly delivered a full ball bowled outside the off stump. Babar stepped forward to play a drive, but the ball turned away after pitching. The right-handed batter missed the ball completely, and Perth Scorchers wicketkeeper Josh Inglis’ light-fastening job behind the wickets did the rest of the job.

Lightning-fast Josh Inglis stuns Babar Azam with sharp stumping in Perth

As soon as the ball passed the bat, Inglis collected it cleanly and knocked the bails off within seconds. At that moment, Babar’s front foot was still slightly in the air and had not gone back into the crease. It was very close, just by a tiny margin, but Inglis was quicker and was sure Babar was out.

The umpires checked through all angles, and Babar was given stumped out as the Pakistani star walked back to the pavilion after a two-ball duck in the BBL 2025-26 Qualifier against the Perth Scorchers at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Eventually, the Sixers were crushed by 48 runs in the qualifier as the Perth Scorchers made it to the finals.

Here’s how fans react to Babar’s flop show:

Babar Azam’s BBL dream turns sour

Meanwhile, Babar Azam’s debut Big Bash League season turned into a major setback, and not for the reasons Sydney Sixers would have hoped to remember. He arrived in the BBL 2025-26 as a pre-draft platinum signing, making him one of the highest-paid players in the tournament’s history.

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Expectations were sky-high, and fans believed Babar would dominate Australian conditions, anchor big chases, and bring star power to the Sixers’ batting line-up. However, the reality was very different. In his maiden campaign, the Pakistani superstar struggled badly to make an impact.

Across 11 innings, the former Pakistan captain has managed only 202 runs for the Sydney Sixers, and these numbers look disappointing for a player of his reputation and price tag. Babar struggled to score, especially during the powerplay, and failed to convert starts into big knocks. Several times, the Sixers lost momentum when they needed their marquee signing to step up.