The right-handed batter scored his second BBL fifty in his fifth appearance.
If referring to players via a single word was a game, it would not have been too difficult to come to a conclusion with respect to Babar Azam. Though the Pakistani mainstay possesses class and poise, one of the first words that has been associated with Babar is strike-rate. A huge chunk of the way the 31-year-old bats has been judged via his ability to score quickly.
In the five matches that Babar Azam has played in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26, he has scored two fifties. One of those reliable knocks came in the most-recent clash against the Melbourne Renegades, wherein the Pakistani batter carved his team to victory with a composed knock of an unbeaten 58. In the other three fixtures, Babar has been dismissed on scores of 2, 9 and 2.
Former Australian star and wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has raised concerns over Babar Azam’s ability to go big in the shortest format of the game. His knock of 58 took him 46 balls to get to the total. Moreover, the knock consisted four boundaries and a solitary six – just 22 runs coming off boundaries. Gilchrist spoke about Babar Azam getting comfortable with rotating the strike, which might also end up piling pressure on his batting partner.
In the game against the Sydney Thunder, Babar got to his maiden BBL fifty, with a score of 58 off 42 deliveries. However, Josh Philippe managed to score 96 off 57 deliveries to take the score past the 190-run-mark. Hence, the Pakistani batter might be a great asset when the target is somewhere in the 150-160 region, but his ability to simply rotate the strike and not go big might squander the chances for his side in a high-scoring game.
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It is probably no secret anymore, that there is work which needs to be done for the Pakistani stalwart. Babar Azam has been in and out of the Pakistan T20I side for quite some time now. Mike Hesson, the Pakistan head coach had also mentioned that he would have to make his way back into the side through consistent performances, which were lacking.
If we look at the two fifties which he has got in the BBL 2025-26 so far, they have taken 42 & 48 deliveries respectively. The latest match against the Renegades could be an exception as the target was in the 160s, which allowed him to anchor the innings with other batters playing around him. However, in games where scoring quickly is the need of the hour, Babar’s approach might end up being an issue.
Gilchrist highlighted the same point on air, stating that the former Pakistani skipper is not a hard hitter of the cricket ball. Babar relies more on timing than muscle, which makes him easy to control for the bowlers at times. Hence, the former Australian stated that he must keep looking for run-scoring opportunities and not settle with the run-a-ball approach.
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