Mitchell Starc Backs Steve Smith After ‘No-Single’ Controversy With Babar Azam in BBL

Mitchell Starc had defended Steve Smith’s decision to deny Babar Azam a single, saying it was a tactical call that paid off during Sydney Sixers’ record chase in the BBL.

Australia and Sydney Sixers pacer Mitchell Starc came out in support of compatriot Steve Smith following the no-single controversy involving Babar Azam during the Big Bash League (BBL) clash against Sydney Thunder on Friday. While Starc admitted that he did not witness the incident live, he justified Smith’s move by comparing it to teams retiring batters in T20 cricket to exploit favourable match-ups.

The incident occurred just before the Sixers took the Power Surge in the 11th over. Smith chose to keep the strike instead of allowing Babar, who was batting at a strike rate of 120, to face the bowling. Smith opted to target the shorter boundary himself, a decision that proved decisive. He went on to smash 32 runs off Ryan Hadley, the most runs ever scored in a single over in BBL history.

Smith nearly retained the strike again in the following over, but Babar eventually faced the first delivery and was dismissed immediately. The Pakistan batter walked off visibly frustrated after a scratchy 47 off 39 balls. Smith, meanwhile, continued his assault and brought up a blistering century off 42 balls as the Sixers chased down the 190-run target comfortably.

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“I didn’t actually see it. I kind of heard something from someone else just before, but I haven’t seen it. So [I] might have to go and have a look, and make an opinion from there. I mean it’s part of T20 cricket if you see a match-up you like [that]. Clearly he [Smith] did, and took it for 34 [32] or something like that. That’s what we want in the surge. We’ve kind of seen it with teams retiring batters as well – you see a match-up that might be better or whatever it may be. So, yes, Smithy must have liked that match-up, and took him on,” Starc said.

Babar, Smith Avoids Post Match Duties

According to Australian media reports, both Smith and Babar avoided post-match media duties, likely to limit further discussion around the incident. For Babar, the episode came at a difficult time, with his modest returns in the tournament adding to questions about his effectiveness in high-intensity T20 cricket.

The Sydney Sixers are set to face Brisbane Heat in a virtual knockout on Sunday, a match where team unity will be crucial.

“[They are] two guys that have played a lot of international cricket, two guys that love performing, and that was one of our best partnerships up the top,” Starc said. “Hopefully, that continues over the next 48 hours on a wicket that seems to be pretty good for batting.”