Steve Smith denied a single to Babar Azam in their last game, which the latter was not very convinced with.
If one hears about a batter denying a single in a run-chase, one would like to believe that he is batting with a No.10 or 11. However, something similar occurred in the Sydney derby this week, and Steve Smith was at the epicentre of it all with a stunning century.
Just as the power surge was on the horizon, Babar Azam hit a ball towards long-on, and started running for a single. However, Steve Smith at the non-striker’s end did not take the single, sending Babar back because the Australian batter wanted to keep strike for the power surge.
Somewhere, the Pakistani batter missing to score off consecutive deliveries before that did play a part in Smith denying the single. But the incident did not end well for the former Pakistani skipper, who did not hold back in expressing his disappointment.
On the eve of their next clash against the Brisbane Heat, Steve Smith was asked a couple of questions on how things were with Babar Azam after the controversy in the last game. The Australian batter put all doubts to rest, ensuring that all was fine between the two.
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Though it seemed pretty unfair on Babar Azam at first, the fact that Steve Smith scored 32 runs off the first over of the power surge quickly took the attention away from the denied single. However, Babar Azam was left utterly disappointed after the incident, and even thrashed his bat into the boundary rope while walking back after being dismissed.
The strike-rate has always been an issue for the Pakistan batter, and that is exactly what the team management wanted him to improve on. Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson revealed that both Babar and Mohammad Rizwan would have to make their way back into the national side via performances.
In 10 matches so far in the Big Bash League (BBL) so far, Babar has scored 202 runs at an average nearing 30. However, his strike-rate has been the main cause of concern. Babar is scoring 106.87 runs per 100 deliveries, which is a job not well done in the shortest format, particularly for an opener.
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