Former Australian batter Mark Waugh has suggested that Sydney Sixers should consider leaving Babar Azam out of their playing XI for the team’s must-win BBL knockout match on January 23, arguing the side needs a more explosive opening option.
Waugh made the remarks during commentary in the Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars knockout fixture, where he questioned whether the Sixers’ current top-order setup is giving them the best balance.
While acknowledging Babar’s pedigree, Waugh pointed to what he described as inconsistent starts and a scoring rate that can put extra pressure on the rest of the batting order, especially with the team leaning heavily on Steve Smith to provide fast runs.
The debate around Babar’s role has grown louder after another tough outing in his debut Big Bash season. In the Sixers’ qualifier against Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium on Tuesday, Babar was dismissed for a second-ball duck while chasing 148.
He was stumped by Josh Inglis off Cooper Connolly in just the second delivery of the innings, leaving the Sixers in early trouble.
Overall, Babar has featured in 11 matches this season, scoring 202 runs and averaging 37.27, including two fifties that played a key role in wins. However, his strike rate of around 103 remains a major talking point, with critics arguing that his tempo has not matched the demands of modern BBL powerplay batting.
That contrast has become sharper since Steve Smith joined the Sixers after the Ashes. Smith has delivered immediate impact with high-intensity knocks, including a fifty and a century, and has already piled up 210 runs off 122 balls in just four games, numbers that have quickly shifted attention toward the Sixers’ overall batting approach.
With knockout pressure now at its peak, Waugh’s comments have added fuel to the discussion: do the Sixers stick with Babar’s stability, or do they gamble on a more aggressive opener to maximize powerplay momentum?