'Nah, He’s Good' - Steve Smith clears air on Babar Azam after BBL single snub

Australia batter Steve Smith has addressed reports suggesting tension between him and Pakistan star Babar Azam during the Big Bash League. The speculation followed an incident in the Sydney Sixers’ match against Sydney Thunder last Friday. Babar was denied a single by Smith, which led to claims of frustration. Some reports even suggested Babar felt disrespected.

Smith quickly dismissed those rumours and said there was no issue between the two. During the broadcast, a clip from the Sixers’ pre-match training session was shown. In it, Smith and Babar were seen talking comfortably. Smith later explained what that conversation was about.

“Nah, he’s good. We were just chatting before. I thought he batted really well the other night and we had a good partnership. We were talking about our golf there. He’s looking forward to tonight and it’s a nice wicket, so I hope we can get off to a good start again,” Smith said.

“I’ll Try to Get 30 Off That Over,” Smith Clarifies

The incident happened in the 11th over at Moore Park during the Power Surge. Smith chose to keep the strike instead of taking a single. Babar looked unhappy at the time. Smith then justified the call by hitting four sixes in a row.

Watch the video here

See Also: Cricket Ireland reject venue shift as BCB approach ICC over group swap

The over produced 32 runs, giving the Sixers a strong push. Babar was back on strike in the next over but was dismissed on the first ball. As he walked off, he struck the boundary cushion with his bat in frustration. Later reports claimed he stayed in the dressing room after the match.

CODE Sports reported that Sixers coach Greg Shipperd stepped in to settle the situation. Smith later explained the thinking behind the decision. “We spoke at the ten-over mark and they [the captain and coach] said take the surge straightaway,” Smith told Channel 7. “I said, ‘Nah, give it one over. I want to hit to the short boundary. I don’t want to mess 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.”