At the start of the BBL season, Justin Langer made an audacious comment on Pakistani batsman Babar Azam, who made his Big Bash League debut for the Sydney Sixers in the first game of the season. Former Australian coach defamed Indian legend Virat Kohli by claiming that Babar Azam has the best cover drive in the world of cricket.
The Big Bash League is back, and all eight teams are ready to chase that trophy with their latest cricketers. Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers, two of the most successful teams in BBL history, face off against each other in the BBL opener.
Several Pakistani players have been cleared by the PCB to participate in the Big Bash League; As a result, the move was planned to give him more opportunities to play alongside international stars ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s legendary player Babar Azam has made his debut in BBL this season.
“Babar Azam has the best cover drive in the world” – Justin Langer edges Virat Kohli
Sydney Sixers began the 15th season of the Big Bash League at the Optus Stadium in Perth and have included experienced Pakistan batsman Babar Azam in their eleven.
Sydney Sixers picked up the former Pakistan captain despite his poor form in the shortest format of the game. He returned to Pakistan’s limited overs team in the series against South Africa and had some figures for his side in the two home series, one against the Proteas and the other against Sri Lanka.
As soon as Babar Azam took the field, former Australia head coach Justin Langer claimed that he has the best ‘cover drive’ in modern cricket. This appears to be an outrageous claim, as dismissing Indian legend Virat Kohli’s cover drive as one of the finest ever is certainly a stretch.
Justin Langer said, “Babar Azam has the best cover drive in the world. pic.twitter.com/AMJSboscUP
– Sherry. (@CallMeSheri1_) 14 December 2025
Justin Langer claimed that Babar has always been a tough player
Justin Langer was the head coach of the Australian national team for a long time, and according to him, during his coaching days, when Australia played against Pakistan a lot, Babar was always a batsman to watch.
Although Babar Azam has not been in his best form for the last 3 years, he can undoubtedly be called one of the best batsmen of Pakistan in this decade. Not only does he have the ability to set records or win games for Pakistan, but Babar is a role model for copybook cricket shots in Pakistan.
Justin Langer said, “When I was the coach of Australia, we played a lot against Pakistan. Babar was the kind of player who as a coach you needed to come back.”
Babar Azam failed in BBL debut
However, coming to Australia and maintaining the same form in completely different conditions was never going to be easy. Yet he was named in the starting eleven in the very first game, which shows that Sydney Sixers have high expectations from the Pakistan legend.
Babar never looked settled on the pitch, which had three times the bounce as on his home track. The ball fell on the hard length of Brodie Couch as he attacked the ribs and Azam attempted to hit it over the bowler’s head. The ball looped and mid-on did the rest.
A very disappointing start for the great Pakistani player and also for the Sydney Sixers. After Babar was dismissed for just 2 runs, Sydney Sixers continued to lose early wickets and the entire top order returned to the dugout within the powerplay.
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