Sydney Sixers Signs ‘Frustrated’ Babar Azam After Falling Out Of Pakistan’s T20 Setup: Report

oi-Debayan Bhattacharyya

Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has signed with the Sydney Sixers for the 2025-26 Big Bash League, marking a fresh chapter in his white-ball journey after a turbulent period with the national T20I side.

The Sixers teased the signing with a cryptic video featuring audio of Babar’s last T20I century in April 2023, captioned “13.06.25 at 7pm – a big surprise,” generating considerable buzz among fans.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has cleared Babar’s participation in the BBL by issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the duration of 14 December 2025 to 28 January 2026. This will be Babar’s fifth appearance in a foreign T20 league, following stints with the Guyana Amazon Warriors (CPL 2017), Somerset (Vitality Blast 2019-20), Colombo Strikers (LPL 2023), and two teams in the Bangladesh Premier League across multiple seasons.

The move comes amid uncertainty over his role in Pakistan’s T20 setup. After being left out of the recent series against New Zealand and Bangladesh, Babar reportedly sought clarification from head coach Mike Hesson and selector Aaqib Javed. Attempts to speak with PCB chairman’s advisor Wahab Riaz during a recent Eid event reportedly did not come to fruition as per a report by Telecom Asia Sport.

While Babar, alongside Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, has been instrumental in Pakistan’s previous T20 World Cup campaigns-reaching the semi-final in 2021 and the final in 2022-the trio’s conservative scoring approach has come under scrutiny. Pakistan’s recent dip in T20 form, including a group-stage exit from the 2024 World Cup and a historic loss to the USA, has intensified calls for a generational shift.

With the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka on the horizon, the current leadership seems keen to explore younger options. However, Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen were recently invited to a training camp, hinting at a possible reintegration into the squad.

Meanwhile, other Pakistani cricketers like Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Rizwan are also exploring opportunities to feature in the upcoming BBL season, indicating a broader interest in overseas leagues as they reassess their international futures.