Yeh pre-draft signing hai, matlab Sixers ne draft se pehle hi apna trump card khel diya. Aur sath mein Steven Smith bhi hai, jo apne aap mein ek chalta-firta cricket ka encyclopedia hai. Lekin zara socho, kya yeh signing sach mein game-changer hai ya bas ek bada naam jodne ki koshish? Chalo, thodi si khurafati baat karte hain, phir dekhte hain isme kya dum hai.
Babar Azam, jise duniya “King” ke naam se jaanti hai, T20 cricket mein ek aisa naam hai jo runs ke peeche nahi, runs uske peeche bhagte hain. 11,330 T20 runs, 20 centuries, aur 56 half-centuries ke sath, yeh banda kisi bhi bowling attack ko chhalni kar sakta hai. Lekin thodi si khabar suno – Pakistan ke T20I team se unhe side-line kar diya gaya hai. Ab yeh baat thodi dil dukhati hai, kyunki Babar jaisa player, jo PSL mein Peshawar Zalmi ke liye 288 runs thok chuka hai, usse aise ignore karna thodi si na-insafi lagti hai. Par yahi cricket hai, kabhi upar, kabhi niche. Babar ka yeh BBL deal unke liye ek nayi shuruaat ho sakti hai, jahan woh apne naysayers ko jawab de sakte hain.
Ab zara Sydney Sixers ki baat karte hain. Yeh team teen baar BBL champion rahi hai, aur pichle chhe seasons mein hamesha top-2 mein rahi hai. Lekin pichle season mein, jab baat playoffs ki aayi, toh Hobart Hurricanes aur Sydney Thunder ne inka band baja diya. Ouch! Ab Babar ke aane se Sixers ke batting line-up mein ek naya josh aa sakta hai. Socho, Babar aur Steven Smith ek sath batting kar rahe hain, SCG ke iconic maidan par, jahan crowd ka shor hi alag level ka hota hai. Yeh combination toh bowlers ke liye koi bura sapna ho sakta hai. Smith, jo 2011 mein Sixers ke saath BBL title jeet chuka hai, aur Babar, jo apne cover drives se dil jeet leta hai – yeh dono milke kya kamaal karenge, yeh dekhne wali baat hogi.
Babar ka T20 record toh banta hai baat karne ka. 320 T20 matches khel chuka hai yeh banda, aur har baar jab woh crease par aata hai, toh bowlers ke pasine chhoot jaate hain. Yaad hai 2021 ka T20 World Cup? Babar ne Pakistan ko semi-finals tak le gaya tha, aur uske baad 2022 mein final tak. Haan, jeete nahi, lekin uski consistency aur class ka koi jawab nahi. Ab BBL mein bhi woh apna wahi charm dikhayega, jaisa usne PSL, CPL, aur England ke Vitality Blast mein dikhaya hai. Sixers ke General Manager Rachael Haynes toh pehle se hi khushi se jhoom rahe hain. Unhone kaha, “Babar ka resume khud bolta hai. Woh ek world-class player hai, aur humare liye ek bada asset hai.”
Lekin thodi si chhoti teams ya players ki baat bhi kar lete hain. Dekho, Sixers toh bade naam hain, lekin BBL mein har team ka apna dum hota hai. Yaad hai jab Melbourne Renegades ne 2018-19 mein sabko hara kar title jeeta tha? Koi unhe favorite nahi maan raha tha, lekin Aaron Finch aur Kane Richardson ne milke sabki bolti band kar di. Aise hi, Babar ke aane se Sixers ko toh fayda hoga, lekin chhoti teams jaise Hobart Hurricanes ya Adelaide Strikers bhi apne din par kisi ko bhi patak sakti hain. Babar ke saath khelna toh bada mauka hai, lekin yeh chhoti teams bhi apne local heroes ke saath koi kami nahi chhodti.
Ab thodi si baat draft ki bhi kar lete hain. 19 June ko BBL ka overseas draft hone wala hai, aur wahan bhi Pakistani talent ka jalwa dekhne ko milega. Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, aur Mohammad Rizwan jaise players bhi draft mein honge. Yeh log bhi apne aap mein ek team ko badal sakte hain. Yaad hai jab Shaheen ne PSL mein Lahore Qalandars ke liye ek over mein teen wickets liye the? Aisa talent BBL mein bhi dhamal macha sakta hai. Toh Sixers ne Babar ko toh le liya, lekin baaki teams bhi koi kam nahi hain.
Lekin yahan thodi si khurafat baaki hai. Babar ka yeh move bada hai, lekin kya yeh guarantee hai ki Sixers title jeet jayenge? Cricket mein kuch bhi ho sakta hai. Yaad hai 2019 ka World Cup, jab West Indies ne shuruaat mein Australia ko dara diya tha, lekin end mein haar gaye? Babar aur Smith ke saath bhi aisa ho sakta hai – bada naam, bada dhamaka, lekin agar team ka rhythm nahi bana, toh sapne adhure reh jaate hain. Aur thodi si baat PCB ki bhi – Babar jaisa player jab apne desh ke T20I team se bahar hota hai, toh yeh sochne wali baat hai ki kahin talent ko waste toh nahi kiya ja raha? Khair, Babar ke fans ke liye yeh BBL ek bada maza hone wala hai, lekin cricket ka maza toh tab hai jab koi chhoti si team achanak se bade-bade naamo ko hara de. Ab dekhte hain, yeh season kiska naam roshan karta hai.
