Sydney Sixers Told To 'Drop Babar Azam' With BBL Title In Sight: "Not Done Enough"
The former Australia batter feels Sydney Sixers should bench Babar Azam if they want to win the BBL.
Australia great Mark Waugh has urged the Sydney Sixers to bench Pakistan batter Babar Azam if they want to win the Big Bash League (BBL). The 60-year-old said that while there is no doubt about Babar's potential, the former Pakistan captain hasn't done enough at the top of the order. He added that the Sixers should seek a new opening partner for star batter Steve Smith, who has done the bulk of the scoring since his return to BBL action after the Ashes.
Babar has scored just 202 runs in 11 BBL innings at an average of 22.44 so far. While he has scored two half-centuries in that period, his strike rate has often been questioned. Smith, on the other hand, has slammed 210 runs in just four games since his return to the competition, including a century against the Sydney Thunder.
Waugh suggested that the Sixers should drop Babar and bring in either Daniel Hughes or Jordan Silk for the remainder of the competition. He added that there is too much pressure on Smith at the moment, with others not doing enough.
"I think they need a bit of tough love. They need to rejig their batting. At the moment, they are totally reliant on Steve Smith. Sam Curran got them out of jail in the other game, but he is gone now. So, there aren't a lot of players that are in form. I would bring in either Daniel Hughes or Jordan Silk. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to drop Babar Azam; he is world-class, but he hasn't done enough. I am thinking about a new opener. You can either have Moises Henriques, Hughes, or Silk," Waugh said on Fox Sports.
On Tuesday, the Perth Scorchers beat the Sixers by 48 runs in the Qualifier to book their place in the BBL final. The Sixers will have another bite at the cherry as they square off with either the Melbourne Stars or the defending champions, the Hobart Hurricanes, in Friday's Challenger.
The winner of that match will face the Scorchers in Sunday's final.
Babar Azam
Steve Smith