Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has shed light on an on-field moment involving Babar Azam and Steve Smith during the high-octane clash against Sydney Thunder, revealing that Babar was “quite upset” after being denied a single late in an over. However, Henriques believes the incident was more about cultural misunderstanding than any real tension between the two star batters. The moment took place during the Sixers’ chase of 190 in the 37th match of the BBL.
Smith and Babar had built a commanding opening partnership, establishing a strong foundation for the team's win. Meanwhile, the match was in full control of the Sixers but during the crucial Power Surge phase Smith refused a single offered to him by Babar on the final ball of the 11th over.
Instead, Smith chose to retain strike himself. In the next over, Smith launched a breathtaking assault, scoring 32 runs in the next over, smashing four consecutive sixes.
"It took a couple of days for that to settle down. To be honest, think it's just a bit of a misunderstanding of culture of each other," Henriques told Fox Cricket.
"It's a pretty common thing in our culture, and maybe for him (Babar) he wasn't used to it and didn't quite understand. Once it was explained to him he was absolutely fine. They've kissed and made up and it's two of the greats back friendly again."
After taking strike in the next over, Babar was dismissed on the first ball and was seen expressing his frustration, including hitting the boundary rope as he walked off the field.