Babar Azam crawls to 1(7) in do-or-die BBL match, burns Sydney Sixers bridge after Steve Smith row

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Babar Azam BBL

In a dramatic blow for the Sydney Sixers, Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam was dismissed cheaply by Australia’s fast outswinger Xavier Bartlett in the Big Bash League 2025-26 (BBL 2025-26) match against the Brisbane Heat at The Gabba in Brisbane.

Xavier Bartlett removes Babar Azam for 1 off 7 in BBL clash

Xavier Bartlett’s skill with outswing deliveries was on full display, as he tempted Babar Azam to play shots across the line in the ongoing final group match of the BBL 2025-26 at The Gabba. Actually, Bartlett bowled a length delivery aimed at the middle and leg stumps.

The former Pakistan captain tried to play a flick shot across the line, but he misjudged the ball slightly. The edge of his bat hit the ball in the wrong way and it flew straight to Max Bryant, who took a stunning catch to hand the Brisbane Heat the crucial breakthrough.

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The catch by Bryant was perfectly timed, as he positioned himself at mid-on and took the ball cleanly on the reverse-cup by mid-on. It was another poor innings for Babar in his maiden BBL 2025-26 campaign as he faced seven deliveries for just 1 run at The Gabba.

Babar Azam’s Big Bash League 2025-26 journey so far

The right-handed batter was shown faith by the Sydney Sixers again and again in the ongoing Big Bash League season despite his inconsistent performances with the bat.

Azam has scored 202 runs in 10 innings at an average of over 28 and a strike rate of over 107 for the Sydney Sixers in the ongoing BBL 2025-26 season. He has recorded two half-centuries in his debut season so far.

Read Also: Babar Azam’s gesture for Steve Smith after costly drop in Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers clash breaks internet

BBL turns brutal for Pakistan stars as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan make unwanted record

Apart from Babar, Mohammad Rizwan also failed to deliver in the Big Bash League, which was expected to be a big platform for Pakistani batters to shine in fast-paced T20 cricket. Fans were hoping to see them hitting match-winning knocks, but the season has told a very different story.

Instead of dominating attacks, Babar and Rizwan have found themselves under pressure for the wrong reasons. Both players are now at the top of a list no batter wants to lead. Among all players who have faced at least 120 balls in the ongoing BBL 2025-26, Babar and Rizwan are the slowest run-scorers in the tournament.

Rizwan sits at the top with a strike rate of 102.74, while Babar is close behind at 107.48. In the T20 leagues, where teams expect batters to score at lightning speed, these numbers put the Pakistani batters in a bad light, with the BBL unlikely to retain them for the next season.

Young Australian batter Sam Konstas, with a strike rate of 110.21, and Australia’s Tom Rogers at 127.50 are next on the list, but even they are scoring faster than Babar and Rizwan, who have already lost their spots in Pakistan’s T20I teams.