Watch: Ball by ball Steve Smith & Babar Azam's 141-run partnership highlights in BBL 2025-26 match

Babar Azam and Steve Smith stitched an eventful partnership for the Sydney Sixers against their archrival, the Sydney Thunder, on January 16 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. For the opening stand, Azam and Smith secured 141 runs, which was enough to secure a win for their team.

While Steve Smith completed a commendable century, Azam had to return after a 47-run knock off 39 deliveries. The Pakistan superstar is often criticized for his usual slow batting approach. In this match too, his intention was to create a steady innings. But Smith's thinking was a bit different. Instead of a slow-paced knock, he went straightaway in the middle with an attacking batting approach.

While Babar's 47-run knock was supported by a strike rate of 120.51, Smith's strike rate was 238.10. The Australian batter smashed 9 sixes and 5 boundaries. He reached his hundred in 41 balls, and that was the joint-second fastest century in the Big Bash League. The Australia international smacked 30 runs of the 32-run off Ryan Hadley’s over while chasing a target of 190.

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Watch the highlights of Babar Azam and Steve Smith's partnership 

The target was not too easy to get, but it was Smith who accomplished his job smoothly like a hot knife in butter. Before that 32-run over, Smith refused to take a single on Babar Azam's call, which might have made the Pakistan batter unhappy. After the couple of entertaining overs, Azam departed.

Babar departed on 12.1 overs, and Smith lost his wicket on the sixth ball of the 14th over when the Sixers already had 159 runs on the scoreboard. The Sydney Sixers won the match in 17.2 overs by 5 wickets.