‘Revenge for Babar Azam insult’: Deja vu drama in PSL; Sahibzada Farhan leaves Steve Smith fuming for denying single

Multan Sultans have scripted a fabulous start to the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) season, winning four of their first five matches to rise to the top of the points table. However, there was a brief moment of tension on the field during their fourth game against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, involving the two openers, Steve Smith and Sahibzada Farhan.

Smith looked to nudge a fuller delivery from Tom Curran through midwicket but failed to time it, with the ball deflecting off the inside edge onto his pad and trickling only a short distance.

With Curran slow to react, Smith was keen on a quick single. However, Farhan immediately turned it down, judging the risk to be too high given how close the ball remained to the pitch. The decision left Smith visibly frustrated before he returned to his crease.

The incident sparked a moment of deja vu for Pakistan fans as they reckoned it was Farhan's way of "taking revenge" for Smith had treated Babar Azam similarly during a match in the last Big Bash League tournament.

What happened between Smith and Babar?

The incident happened in January 2026, while playing for the Sydney Sixers, when Babar had called for a single during the 'Power Surge' phase, but Smith had denied. Being more in control in the innings with his batting, the Aussie wanted to capitalise on it and keep strike for the maximum time amid fielding restrictions. Babar, who was then on 47 off 38, was visibly angry.

The gamble did pay off as Smith smashed 32 runs in the next over, setting a new BBL record for the most expensive over. And when Babar came back on strike, he was dismissed. A report later stated that the Pakistan batter felt "disrespected" by Smith's act, which resulted in dressing room tension, with Babar isolating himself.

Smith later downplayed the rift, stating the decision was purely tactical to target the short boundary.

As for Multan Sultans, Smith and Farhan have been in spectacular form, and neither the batters nor the franchise has addressed what has purely been a social media speculation.

The franchise remain focussed on their next game, against Peshwar Zalmi, on April 13 in Karachi.

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