Melbourne Stars captain Marcus Stoinis gave a warm farewell to Sydney Sixers batsman Babar Azam during the 27th match of the ongoing Big Bash League 2025-26 (BBL 2025-26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on January 8, which added more heat to the moment.
Stoinis bowled a full and straight ball in the seventh over, aiming accurately at the stumps. After pitching, the ball moved backwards a little. Babar moved forward and tried to play across the line, but he closed the face of the bat very early. Because of this the bat missed the ball completely.
Savage Celebration in BBL 2025-26: Marcus Stoinis vs Babar Azam at MCG
The ball hit his pad in line with the stump. Stoinis appealed loudly and the umpire immediately raised his finger. The Pakistani batsman had a quick discussion with his Sydney Sixers batting partner Phillips about taking a review, but he decided not to challenge the on-field umpire’s decision after thinking about it.
Also Read: Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith join Babar Azam-starrer Sydney Sixers ‘superteam’ for BBL 2025-26
As Babar walked back to the dugout, Stoinis celebrated the big success offensively, with the Pakistani star scoring only 14 runs off 17 balls in the ongoing BBL 2025-26 encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Stoinis said, “See you later Babar! See you later, brother!”
Marcus Stoinis removes Babar Azam, and doesn’t he like it #bbl15 pic.twitter.com/eyAAOhIRsH
– KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) 8 January 2026
With this poor outing, Babar Azam’s struggles continue in BBL 2025-26. In seven innings, the right-handed batsman has managed only 145 runs with only two half-centuries. An average of 24.16 and a slow strike rate of 108.20 mark a season well below Babar’s usual standards.
Later, Haris Rauf bowled a slow ball to Josh Philip on the middle stump. The Australian star tried to hit the ball over long-on for a big shot, but the bat twisted in his hands at the moment of contact and the ball did not go where he wanted.
Instead of going straight, the ball went slightly to the right of long-on, and Thomas Rogers ran fast, slid to the ground, and took a clean catch in a big moment for the Melbourne Stars, as Phillips was out for 35 off 25 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes.
Melbourne Stars had a great start defending a modest target of 128 runs, with Peter Siddle out LBW to Moises Henriques and then Babar Azam and Josh Philippe also failed to make a big impact. Captain Stoinis is aggressive, Sam Curran became his second victim in the 13th over.
At the time of writing, Sydney Sixers need 37 runs from 42 balls to win the BBL 2025-26 encounter against Melbourne Stars at the MCG. Earlier, after being asked to bat first, the Stars could only score 128 runs thanks to the collective efforts of Sam Harper (21), Thomas Rogers (23), Stoinis (33) and Blake McDonald (33) against the Sixers in the Big Bash League encounter.
Ben Dwarshuis (4/13) and Jack Edwards (3/27) were excellent with the ball for Sydney Sixers, while Joel Davis also took two wickets against the Stars in Melbourne. This match is equally important for both the teams to boost their chances for the playoffs.
