Babar Azam guides Sixers past Renegades in Big Bash

Daily Update, Sports

Pakistan’s Babar Azam made an unbeaten 58 to guide Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket victory over Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.

Chasing 165, Babar hit four fours and one six in his 46-ball knocked to get Sixers over the line with five balls to spare.

He shared 46 with Daniel Hughes (30) for the opening wicket and 42 with Moises Henriques for the third wicket, before an unbroken stand of 51 with Joel Davies (34 off 15) gave Sixers the victory.

Renegades had posted 164–9 from their 20 overs with Josh Brown top-scoring with 43 off 19 balls at the top of the order.

Sean Abbott was the pick of the Sixers bowlers, claiming 3-16, including the vital wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was well set on 38 in the 15th over.

The win leaves Sixers fifth in the table, while Renegades are seventh after a third defeat in four games.

Sydney Sixers 168 for 4 (Babar 58, Davies 34*, Sandhu 2-23) beats Melbourne Renegades 164 for 9 (Brown 43, Abbott 3-16) by six wickets

The Sydney Sixers have made it 10-straight BBL wins over the Melbourne Renegades, registering a decisive six-wicket victory on New Year’s Day at Marvel Stadium.

The Sixers’ record of not losing to the Renegades since 2019 was under threat as they stumbled to 69 for 2 after 10 overs in their chase of 165.

But a huge power surge from Pakistan star Babar Azam (58* from 46 balls) and captain Moises Henriques (23) helped blast the Sixers towards the total for just their second victory of the tournament.

Joel Davies (34* from 15 balls) played a crucial cameo for his highest BBL score following Henriques’ dismissal, taking pressure off Babar who had dropped anchor early in the chase. The pair made it easy in the end, Babar hitting the winning runs with a lofted cover drive for four with five balls to spare. After a slow start to his stint in the BBL, the Pakistan batsman has found form with two fifties in his last three matches.

On a tricky pitch and painfully slow outfield at Marvel Stadium, the Renegades threatened to get away via opener Josh Brown after being sent in to bat. Taking 22 off Ben Dwarshuis’s first over – third of the innings – Brown smashed 43 off 19 balls, including four sixers, before falling to Hayden Kerr. The Renegades were 54 for 1 from five overs and eyeing a big total before Brown was dismissed.

Allrounder Sean Abbott was the rock with the ball, managing a seriously economical 3 for 16 from his four overs to claim Player-of-the-Match honors.

“It was a pretty tough wicket there (for batting),” Abbott told Fox Cricket. “Babar had to go through a few different stages in that innings, but once we got up and going with a pair of partnerships, it looked like he did it in first gear.”

The infamous Docklands turf was in far better shape than early in last season, but the outfield was still very slow.

Jake Fraser-McGurk shown signs of his best for the Renegades, hitting a well-made 39.

The Renegades (1–3) will be back in action on Sunday night when they face the Stars at the MCG in their first Melbourne derby of the tournament. The Sixers (2-3) will travel to Coffs Harbor for a clash with the Brisbane Heat on Monday night.

MELBOURNE:

Star batter Babar Azam produced a match-winning knock to guide Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades in the 18th match of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 15 at Docklands Stadium on Thursday.

Batting first, the Renegades were restricted to 164-9 in their 20 overs, thanks to an extraordinary cameo from opening batter Josh Brown, who scored 43 off 19 deliveries, including three fours and four sixes.

Middle-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk contributed a sensible 38 off 29 balls with four boundaries, while Hassan Khan added 39 off 29 deliveries, featuring one four and three sixes.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan’s struggles in the tournament continued as he was dismissed cheaply for six off 10 balls.

For the Sixers, Sean Abbott spearheaded the bowling attack, claiming three wickets for 16 runs in four overs. Jack Edwards, Ben Dwarshuis, and Hayden Kerr backed well, picking up two wickets each.

Chasing 165, Sydney Sixers reached the target in 19.1 overs, losing four wickets. Babar Azam anchored the innings with a balanced unbeaten 58 off 46 deliveries, which included four borders and a six.

Opening batsman Daniel Hughes also impressed with 30 off 23 balls, including two fours and a six, while Joel Davies played a vital unbeaten cameo of 34 off 15 balls, featuring three fours and two sixes.

The victory takes Sydney Sixers to sixth place on the BBL 15 points table with two wins and three defeats from five games, collecting four points with a net run-rate of 0.202.

Melbourne Renegades remain seventh with one win and three losses from four games, holding two points and a net run-rate of -0.879.

made an impressive start to 2026, leading Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket victory over Melbourne Renegades in the 18th match of the Big Bash League at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne. His match-winning knock of 58 not out from 46 balls guided the Sixers to 168/4, successfully pursuing down the target of 165 with five balls to spare.

Babar Azam brought up his half-century in just 41 balls, demonstrating his trademark poise and class under pressure. The standout moment of his innings was when he sent Andrew Tye to the boundary, securing the win for the Sixers.

Babar Azam,

Babar Azam after his earlier knock against Sydney Thunder, backed up his form with another fifty in the Big Bash League, reaching 129 runs from five games, averaging 32.25 and hitting at 117.27.

On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan had another underwhelming outing, scoring only six runs from 10 balls before being discarded by Ben Dwarshuis. Rizwan’s Big Bash League campaign has been challenging, with just 58 runs in four matches at an average of 14.50 and a strike rate of 100. Both Rizwan and Babar Azam will be absent from Pakistan’s upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka due to their commitments in the BBL.

The Renegas posted a solid total of 164/9, with Josh Brown top-scoring with 43 runs off 19 balls. Sean Abbott was the star for the Sixers, claiming three wickets and taking two catches, which helped him secure the Player of the Match award.