Kamal Ghorui
A moment of tension involving Steve Smith and Sahibzada Farhan grabbed attention during a Pakistan Super League 2026 clash, as fans quickly drew comparisons with an earlier controversial incident featuring Babar Azam. During Multan Sultans’ match against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, Smith looked in sublime touch and was keen to retain strike heading into the fourth over. On the final ball of the third over, he pushed for a single, but Farhan refused the run, leaving the Australian visibly frustrated at the non-striker’s end. The brief exchange was enough to spark chatter online, with many recalling a similar moment from the Big Bash League earlier this year. Back in January 2026, while representing Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, Smith had himself denied Babar Azam a single during the ‘Power Surge’ phase. In that instance, Smith wanted to keep strike to maximise the fielding restrictions. Babar, who was nearing his fifty at 47 off 38 balls, appeared unhappy with the call and was dismissed soon after. Smith then capitalised in dramatic fashion, smashing 32 runs in the next over, including four consecutive sixes, turning it into one of the most memorable overs in BBL history. While fans were quick to label Farhan’s decision as “revenge”, the two incidents were not identical. Farhan’s refusal in the PSL game appeared to be driven by match awareness, as he likely felt the single was too risky and could have led to a run-out. In contrast, Smith’s earlier call against Babar was a calculated tactical move to retain strike during a crucial phase. Despite the brief moment of confusion, Smith went on to anchor the chase with a fluent 53 off 35 balls, guiding Multan Sultans to a comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators as they chased down 167 with more than two overs to spare.
