'Took couple of days': Sixers captain reveals how Babar-Smith saga was resolved
Moises Henriques says Babar was "quite upset" with what happened during game against Sydney Thunder
January 20, 2026
Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has revealed it took team management a couple of days to resolve a "misunderstanding" between Babar Azam and Steve Smith following a denied single during their Big Bash League (BBL) game against Sydney Thunder last week.
The incident occurred on the final delivery of the 11th over when Smith declined a single offered by Babar to ensure he would be on strike for the Power Surge — a tactical phase where only two fielders are allowed outside the circle.
Henriques said that the incident was a result of the cultural difference between Australian and Pakistani players.
"It took a couple of days for that to settle down," Henriques said during the Qualifier final against Perth Scorchers. "To be honest, think it's just a bit of a misunderstanding of culture of each other."
"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."
Smith had reportedly informed Babar an over earlier that he intended to take the first ball of the surge during the game. Babar, who was dismissed for 47 off 39 balls, appeared visibly unhappy with the decision.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Smith said that the captain and coach had told him to take the Power Surge at the ten-over mark.
"I was like, 'Nah, give it one over. I want to hit to the short boundary. I don't want to screw up the first over. I'll try to get 30 off that over'. [I] think we got 32, so it was a good result. Not sure Babar was too happy with me knocking back that single," he added.
Meanwhile, Henriques said that head coach Greg Shipperd took the lead role in talking to Babar.
"[We are] always trying to understand…we could visibly see he was quite upset with what happened on the field, so we needed to try and understand why he felt that way. Once we got to the bottom of it, it was okay."
It is pertinent to mention that Babar, who was roped in as a direct signing by the Sixers for the BBL 15, has been struggling in the ongoing tournament as he has thus far managed to accumulate 202 runs in 11 innings at a modest average of 22.44 and a dismal strike rate of 103.06.
