Babar Azam’s Big Bash League Drought Ends With Sparkling Half-Century Vs Sydney Thunder

Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam’s rut in the ongoing Big Bash League finally came to an end on Saturday, December 20, when he smacked a 42-ball 58 to help the Sydney Sixers post a whopping 198/5, which

they were able to defend against the Thunder in a Sydney derby at the Showground Stadium.

Having been put in to bat first, Daniel Hughes and Babar added 33 runs for the opening partnership before the former was dismissed by Reece Topley.

Babar and wicketkeeper Josh Phillippe then built a match-winning 140-run partnership for the second wicket, before the former was dismissed by Topley. Babar smacked five boundaries and two sixes during his knock.

‘The Babar Azam Cover Drive’ ™️#BBL15 pic.twitter.com/f23lqz1UMI

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 20, 2025

The Sixers eventually posted 198/5, with Phillippe smacking a 57-ball 96.

In the chase, Thunder found themselves at 45/4 in the eighth over before wicketkeeper Sam Billings and Shadab Khan added 49 runs for the fifth wicket.

But after Billings was dismissed by Jack Edwards, Thunder folded for a paltry 151, handing the Sixers a 47-run win. The latter picked five wickets.

Babar, ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are all plying their trade in the BBL, with most brought in through pre-arranged signings ahead of the draft or snapped up as first picks, as teams made a calculated push to invest in Pakistan’s stars.

Much of the tournament’s promotion within Australia has centred on this Pakistan contingent, with the BBL leaning on their marketability among the nation’s sizeable Pakistani diaspora in the lead-up to the season.

It is, perhaps, a curious moment to go all in on Pakistan, with the nation’s international stock at a low ebb. While they have won a record 21 T20Is this year, many of those wins came against lower-profile opposition.

Eighteen victories were against Bangladesh, West Indies, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, while they managed just three wins from 11 games against New Zealand, India and South Africa.