This was the moment that ignited the BBL – and probably raised the temperature sydney sixers‘ Dug out. During Friday’s high-octane clash against sydney thunder, steve smith Made a controversial call to deny a teammate a match Babar AzamHe was deprived of the strike. While Smith immediately justified the decision by scoring a record-breaking 32 runs in the next over, Babar looked quite disappointed and eventually lost his wicket after some time. Now, the Sixers star is returning Mitchell Starc has broken his silence on the incident and offered a bowler’s perspective on the “friction” between the two legendary batsmen.
Mitchell Starc reacted on Steve Smith-Babar Azam controversy
Starc, making his long-awaited return to the BBL after a gap of 11 years, initially played down the drama with typical diplomacy. Despite being in the dugout, the veteran fast bowler admitted that he missed the specific moment of live denial.
“I haven’t actually seen it. I heard something from someone else a while ago… so I’ll have to go and see it and form an opinion from there,” Starc made the revelation in the press conference after the match.
However, he immediately shifted his focus from the personal struggle to the scorecard, saying, “Clearly he [Smith] He saw a matchup he liked and he took it for 34-or 32, something like that.”
Rather than focus on on-field optics, Starc defended Smith’s decision as a prime example of modern T20 development. He emphasized that in power surges – batting teams may require the restriction of two overs of fielding – individual matchups often trump traditional rotation of strike.
“That’s what we want in the bounce. We’ve seen it with teams retiring batsmen as well – you see a matchup that could be better or whatever. So, yes, Smithy would have liked that match-up, and would have taken it. [the bowler] But,” Stark explained.
Starc dismisses rumors of rift between Smith and Babar
From Starc’s perspective, Smith’s refusal was not an insult to Babar’s ability, but a calculated tactical gambit to take advantage of the short range against him. Ryan Hadley-A gamble that paid off with four consecutive sixes.
Ultimately, Starc tried to quell any rumors of a rift between the team’s two superstars. He reminded fans that both Smith and Babar are experienced players who understand that snap decisions are part of the game.
“[They are] “Two guys who have played a lot of international cricket, two guys who love to perform and that was one of our best partnerships at the top.” Stark concluded. As the Sixers won by five wickets and Smith scored a match-winning century, Starc’s message was clear: the results justify the method, and the Sixers’ focus is on the next 48 hours, not the last over.
Also read: Steve Smith reveals the reason behind not trusting Babar Azam for ‘power surge’ during BBL|15 game