Another Travis Head? Meet Jerrssis Wadia, the batsman of Indian origin who is taking over the BBL
Smith hardly entertained the thought of fallout.As footage of the team’s pre-match training session was played on air, Smith and Babar were seen having a casual chat. Smith explained that there was nothing tense about the exchange at all.“No, he’s good. We were just talking before. I thought he hit really well last night and we had a good partnership. We talked about our golf there. He’s looking forward to tonight and it’s a nice wicket so hopefully we can get off to a good start again,” Smith said.So what actually happened?The moment that ignited the buzz came in the 11th at Moore Park. Babar Azam wanted to take a single but Smith refused as he wanted to take control during the first over of the Power Surge. Babar did not hide his disappointment.But Smith doubled down on the call in the most emphatic way possible. He smashed four consecutive sixes in the very next over, amassing 32 runs and decisively shifting the pace.While Babar scored 47, his innings came off 39 balls at a strike rate of 120.51. Smith at the other end scored a breathtaking hundred off just 41 deliveries.Babar was on strike again in the following match, albeit tentatively, and was run out on the first ball he faced. The frustration was evident as he walked back as the former Pakistan captain hit the boundary pad with his bat.A report from CODE Sports claimed that Babar did not take the field for post-match talks and instead remained in the dressing room, feeling humiliated by Smith’s decision. The report called the reaction “an epic drool” and a “stunning tantrum”.It also reported that Sixers head coach Greg Shipperd had stepped in to calm the situation, adding that Smith had already communicated his plan to Babar earlier in their century partnership.Smith later clarified the thinking behind the move, insisting it was entirely tactical.“We were talking on the ten boundary and they said take the onslaught immediately,” Smith told Channel 7. “I said, ‘No, give it another go. I want to hit the short boundary. I don’t want to mess up the first over. I’ll try to get 30 out of it.’ I think we got 32 so that was a good result. I’m not sure if Babar was too happy when I gave that single back.”Finally the bat spoke, the scoreboard supported the decision and any talk of lingering tension was brushed aside with some simple pre-match golf talk.