Babar Azam will not take part in the remaining knockout matches of the Big Bash League after Sydney Sixers confirmed that the former Pakistan captain has been asked to return home for a national team training camp.
The Sixers made the announcement on Thursday, a little over a day before their Challenger final against Hobart Hurricanes at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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The winner of that match will face Perth Scorchers in the BBL final on Sunday.
Babar was originally expected to be available for the full tournament.
He was also not part of Pakistan’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
However, with Pakistan beginning preparations for upcoming international assignments, the right-hander has now been recalled to join the team camp.
“The Sydney Sixers have today been informed that Sixers opener Babar Azam is required to return to Pakistan to join his national teammates in camp, as preparations commence for upcoming international matches,” the franchise said in a statement.
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“As a result, Babar will depart Australia immediately and will not be available for selection for the remainder of the BBL|15 Finals Series.”
Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes said the franchise had planned for Babar to remain with the side until the end of the finals.
“The Sydney Sixers are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to have had Babar represent the club during his time in Australia,” Haynes said.
“While we had initially planned for Babar to be available throughout the Finals, he has been an immensely valued member of our group, and we fully understand that the commencement of Pakistan’s national camp means preparations are now underway for upcoming matches.”
The development comes shortly after Sixers captain Moises Henriques spoke about a brief on-field misunderstanding involving Babar during a recent match.
“It took a couple of days for that to settle down,” Henriques said during a broadcast.
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“To be honest, think it’s just a bit of a misunderstanding of culture of each other.”
“It’s a pretty common thing in our culture, and maybe for him he wasn’t used to it and didn’t quite understand. Once it was explained to him he was absolutely fine. They’ve kissed and made up and it’s two of the greats back friendly again.”
Henriques added that he and head coach Greg Shipperd spoke to Babar to clear the situation.
“We could visibly see he was quite upset with what happened on the field, so we needed to try and understand why he felt that way. Once we got to the bottom of it, it was okay.”
Babar ended his first BBL season with 202 runs from 11 matches, averaging 22.44 and striking at 103.06, including two half-centuries.
While his overall numbers were modest, he said he enjoyed his time with the Sydney-based franchise.
“First of all, Thank you so much, Sydney Sixers, for having me. I have very much enjoyed my time with all the boys and coaches,” Babar said.
“Unfortunately, I will now have to leave the team, to go to the national duty.”
“I have a lot of things to take back home, lots of fun and many positive experiences, so I have enjoyed it a lot.”
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“Especially, thank you to the Sydney Sixers fans there is always support there, lot of support, lot of encourage, a lot of fun, so I have very much enjoyed that vibe at Sydney Cricket Ground, so thank you so much.”
With Babar unavailable, experienced batter Daniel Hughes has been added to the Sixers squad for the Challenger final and is set to play his 100th BBL match.
Hobart Hurricanes, meanwhile, are boosted by the return of captain Nathan Ellis, who missed the previous game due to a minor hamstring issue.
