Cricket is often described as a team sport, but within those 22 yards, individual instincts and split-second decisions can sometimes collide.
One such moment unfolded during a recent Big Bash League match when Steve Smith and Babar Azam, two of modern game’s finest batters, found themselves on slightly different wavelengths.
Sydney Sixers were cruising in their chase, with Smith and Babar batting together comfortably.
Babar, calm and composed as ever, pushed the ball into the outfield and instinctively set off for a single – the kind of run batsmen take without a second thought. But at the non-striker’s end, Smith had other ideas. He quickly sent Babar back, choosing to keep the strike himself.
It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t dismissive. It was purely tactical.
After turning down a single that would have given Babar Azam the strike on the final ball of the over, Steve Smith took matters into his own hands. The Australian batter stayed on strike and went on to smash 32 runs in the following over.
The onslaught thrilled fans, but Babar was visibly unimpressed at being denied the run, making his frustration clear in the middle.
Later, Smith admitted with a smile that he wasn’t sure Babar was “too happy” at that moment – and honestly, who would be?
Speaking to Channel 7 after the game, Smith said:
“We spoke at the ten-over mark, and they [the captain and coach] said take the surge straightaway,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘Nah, give it one over. I want to hit to the short boundary. I don’t want to screw up the first over. I’ll try to get 30 off that over’. [I] think we got 32, so it was a good result.”
“Not sure Babar was too happy with me knocking back that single,” Smith added.
Any batter in rhythm wants to stay involved. But Smith had already spotted an opportunity. The Power Surge was coming up, boundary on one side was shorter, and he backed himself to make it count.
What followed justified the call. Smith unleashed a stunning assault. The Sixers raced ahead, crowd erupted, and the match slipped firmly out of opposition’s grasp.
In the end, it was a reminder of how cricket works at the highest level – trust, clarity, and sometimes uncomfortable decisions made for the bigger picture.
Babar may not have loved being turned down for that single, but the team walked away with a dominant win.
