Babar Azam signed by Sydney Sixers ahead of BBL 2025
With over 10,000 international runs across all formats, the right-hander has been a central figure in Pakistan, leading his country across the three formats between 2019 and 2024.
The 30-year-old has ranked among the world's top batters in the ODI and T20I formats in recent years, was named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2021 and 2022, and crowned the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year in 2022.
With franchise experience across the Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, and English domestic competitions, Azam brings a wealth of T20 experience and over 11,000 runs in the format to date
Pakistan icon and global superstar @babarazam258 will play his first Big Bash season in #BBL15 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/hx1mYra5Mf — KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) June 13, 2025
As per League rules, each club can sign one international recruit ahead of the BBL 15 Draft, which is set to be held next Thursday, June 19.
Sixers General Manager, Rachael Haynes, said, 'We are absolutely delighted to welcome Babar to the Sixers this summer. Babar's resume speaks for itself. He is a world-class player and a proven leader. He's not only a huge addition to our club, but to the league as a whole.'
'It's an exciting opportunity to play in one of the world's best T20 leagues and to be a part of such a successful and respected franchise. I'm looking forward to contributing to the team's success, building a strong connection with the fans, and sharing this experience with my friends, family and supporters at home in Pakistan,' said Azam.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Arsenal wins 1-0 at Man United as Chelsea held by Palace in Premier League opener
Arsenal kept at bay Manchester United's expensively assembled forward line and scored again from a set piece to win 1-0 in the marquee match in the opening round of the Premier League on Sunday. Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori nodded in from close range in the 13th minute after United back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayındır — starting ahead of Andre Onana — flapped at the ball from a corner whipped in by Declan Rice. While Arsenal followed likely title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in claiming an opening-weekend victory, United fell to a loss that is all-to-familiar under Ruben Amorim following a woeful 15th-place finish last season by English soccer's fallen giant. United spent around 200 million pounds ($270 million) on revamping its attack in the offseason, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha starting the match and Benjamin Sesko coming off the bench in the second half. While the team played with a good intensity at Old Trafford, Arsenal's strong defense stood firm. 'For me, there was more sign of hope than what we got from the game,' United captain Bruno Fernandes said. Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres was substituted in the 60th minute in an underwhelming first competitive start for Arsenal, whose goal came from a familiar route with Mikel Arteta's team so imposing from set-piece situations in recent seasons. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Arsenal has scored 31 goals from corners — more than any other Premier League team, according to Opta, the league's statistics supplier. 'We know we could have lost the game but football is like this,' Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya said. 'Days like this is when the three points count.' Chelsea also failed to score in its opening league game, held 0-0 by Crystal Palace in its first competitive match as the club world champion. A month after stunning Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea toiled at Stamford Bridge after a short preseason because of its exertions in the United States. Eze's farewell? Eberechi Eze has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham so the England midfielder might have been making his final appearance for Palace. He almost marked it with a goal. In the 13th minute, Eze smashed a direct free kick past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from the edge of the area but the goal was ruled out after a video review spotted an infringement by Palace captain Marc Guehi as he attempted to push aside Chelsea's Moises Caicedo in the defensive wall. The Premier League confirmed Guehi was standing less than one meter (yard) from the wall as the shot was taken, which is not allowed. Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, stars for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, were quiet. The hosts lacked intensity because they've only been back in training for a couple of weeks, while Palace has had a long preseason and was coming off beating Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield last weekend. Wood starts hot for Forest Nottingham Forest hit the ground running with a 3-1 win over Brentford, with striker Chris Wood, the team's top scorer last season with 20 goals, netting twice in the first half either side of a goal on debut by Dan Ndoye. Wood started quickly last season in the best goalscoring top-flight campaign of his career and he needed just five minutes to open his account this time round, making the most of a poor clearance at a corner to poke home a finish. Ndoye headed in a second in the 42nd minute and Wood rounded the goalkeeper in first-half stoppage time to stroke in a third. Igor Thiago converted a late penalty for a consolation for Brentford, which might struggle this season after selling star forward Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and not having first-choice striker Yoane Wissa available. Wissa has been linked with a move to Newcastle. Jota tribute All matches on Sunday featured a period of silence before kickoff as a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, the brothers who were killed in a car crash in Spain last month. Jota was a player for Liverpool at the time.
India.com
4 hours ago
- India.com
He Hasnt Closed The Door, So...: Keshav Maharaj Opens Up On His Chances For 2026 Men's T20 World Cup
South Africa veteran left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj said he remains determined to stake for a spot in the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup after being overlooked for the recent T20I series against Australia. Maharaj is one of five changes to South Africa's ODI squad that will face Australia at the Cazalys Stadium from Tuesday, alongside skipper Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi. He missed South Africa's recent Test series win against Zimbabwe with a groin strain, but confirmed the injury had no bearing on his omission from the T20I series, which the visitors' lost 2-1. "Yeah, I'm available. I think 'Shuks' (coach Shukri Conrad) wants to try some things. He hasn't closed the door, so I'm hoping that I will get an opportunity to show him what I can do," Maharaj told reporters in Cairns on Sunday. Maharaj was a key figure in South Africa's run to the Men's T20 World Cup final last year, where they were beaten by India in Barbados. He played all 10 matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India as well, taking 15 wickets at an economy rate of just 4.15 in another campaign that ended in semi-final defeat to eventual champions Australia. With 16 T20Is scheduled before the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup takes place in India and Sri Lanka, Maharaj said he had no plans to cut back his commitments. "Not at all. Not yet. The T20 World Cup in 2026 is a huge one for me. For now, I'm happy to play three formats. I still love bowling and until that passion falls away then I want to play all three formats for my country and be a match winner," he added.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Why America can't shake off inflation
The Yiddish phrase 'farshlepteh krenk', untranslatable into English, describes an illness that just won't go away. That is how some rich countries' experience of inflation has felt. The rate of price increases has fallen sharply since the acute phase in 2022, when inflation across the OECD rose to nearly 11%, its highest since the 1970s. In June average inflation across the club was around 2.5%, only a smidge above most central banks' targets. But many Anglophone countries still have lingering symptoms. To diagnose the malaise more accurately, we have updated our measure of 'inflation entrenchment' for ten rich countries. We construct this from five indicators: core inflation, unit labour costs, inflation dispersion, inflation expectations and Google-search behaviour. We rank each country on each indicator, then combine the rankings to form an overall score. Chart The results reveal a linguistic divide. Countries in the EU and Asia perform well. France, which also did well the last time we conducted this exercise, in 2024, now has the least entrenched inflation of all the countries we looked at. Chapeau bas to them. Japanese inflation, true to form, has a feeble grip. In the English-speaking world, however, inflation looks chronic. Britain is the worst performer overall. In the year to the second quarter of 2025 the country's core prices (which exclude food and energy) rose by 4.3%. Three-quarters of the items in a Briton's consumer basket have risen in price by more than 2% over the past year—unusually high 'inflation dispersion'. Australia is not far behind, with unit labour costs (what is paid to workers to produce a unit of output) nearly 5% higher in the first quarter than they were a year before. Despite a weaker economy than its southern neighbour, Canada's inflation problem is almost as bad. A few factors may explain the persistence of inflation in these places. From 2022 to 2024 the governments of Anglophone countries, on average, increased their budget deficits by two percentage points of GDP, versus a one-percentage-point contraction elsewhere. This boosted demand—the equivalent of licking doorhandles in an attempt to fight off an illness. English-speaking countries have also welcomed lots of immigrants in recent years. At least in the short run, the new arrivals may push up the prices of certain things, especially housing. Amid this bad news, there is still cause for hope that inflation will soon look less entrenched. The absolute level of inflation entrenchment seems to be ebbing: the country with the least entrenched inflation last time we did the exercise, Japan, would have ranked sixth-worst this time. The Bank of England can point to Britons' weak inflation expectations as evidence that price pressures will soon fade. The Bank of Canada can highlight low inflation dispersion. In addition, most Anglophone governments are simultaneously tightening fiscal policy and slashing immigration. America is the exception. Although immigration is declining, the government still has its foot on the fiscal pedal. And President Donald Trump's tariffs have stoked fears of another round of price rises, as American firms pass their higher costs on to consumers. Americans are more likely than others to Google inflation-related terms. Over the coming year, the public expects prices to rise by 5.5%, higher than people in any other country. A lingering illness is annoying; one that gets worse is harder to bear.
