Babar Azam’s BBL Debut Ends in Disappointment

OPTUS: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam endured a disappointing start to his Big Bash League (BBL) career, managing just two runs off five balls in his debut match for the Sydney Sixers against the Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Opening the innings, Babar saw his partner Daniel Hughes dismissed on the second ball of the match, with Cooper Connolly providing an early breakthrough for the home side. Babar faced his first delivery at the end of the opening over and cautiously defended an angling ball.

The right-hander struggled to find rhythm in the early stages, defending a length delivery from Joel Paris and surviving a brief scare when a mistimed shot landed safely between fielders at mid-wicket and mid-on. He finally got off the mark on the fourth ball he faced, scoring two runs by lofting a length delivery between extra cover and sweeper cover.

However, his stay at the crease was short-lived. Brody Couch dismissed the Pakistan batter with a hard-length delivery that rose sharply, forcing Babar to hit towards mid-on, where Laurie Evans completed a straightforward catch.

Read more: Babar Azam names his all-time favourite cricketer

Despite the underwhelming debut, Babar remains one of the most celebrated batters of the modern era. The Sydney Sixers signed the 31-year-old directly for the 15th edition of the BBL, banking on both his cricketing pedigree and global popularity.

In anticipation of his arrival, the franchise unveiled a special fan zone called “Babaristan” in October and assigned him a unique three-digit jersey number, 056, to mark his first-ever stint in the BBL.