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Why Doesn’t the King Rule in Australia? | The Express Tribune
Former Pakistan Captain and Star batter Babar Azam. Photo: X
KARACHI:
It is never easy to step out of your comfort zone. You don’t really know how talented you might be until you bring change within yourself or explore new paths. Perhaps you could achieve greater success but there’s a certain fear that holds you back: What if I fail? You fear losing even what you already have. So, many people choose to settle for what they’ve got.
Maybe that’s why the growth of some talented individuals eventually stops. Of course, financial or personal factors make taking risks even harder. But if we look at the most successful people, most of them are those who did step out of their comfort zones, discovered their true selves, and changed their ways.
If we talk about cricket, the difference between the past and the present eras is like night and day. In the old days, there was only Test cricket, and it was considered the crown jewel of the sport. Then came One-Day Internationals money began to flow in, and players’ focus shifted toward it. Now, it’s the era of T20 cricket.
The new generation gives T20’s explosive players the same legendary status that fans of the past gave to Don Bradman. The only difference is the real Bradman is still remembered decades later, whereas the “Bradmans” of T20 fade from memory after a short while.
Today, players prefer to earn huge sums from a few hours of T20 rather than grind through long Test matches. Test cricket has fallen to the point where even a major cricketing nation like Pakistan plays only four or five matches a year.
Very few cricketers remain who can perform in all three formats, and even among those, many try to use their stardom to make themselves indispensable often to the detriment of their teams.
In the past, players used to say, “We play for the country and the nation.” Now, even that courtesy is gone. Today’s players happily abandon international cricket to earn dollars from leagues. Their justification is that international careers are short. If that’s really the case, then they shouldn’t use their national teams as a stepping stone they should sign with leagues from the start. But of course, that’s not possible.
Leagues have also become a way to shatter many superstars’ egos. At home, you’re treated like a hero and if competition isn’t strong, you can stay in the team for years even when out of form. But leagues are different. Franchises spend millions to hire the world’s best talent, and they expect performance in every match. If you don’t meet those expectations, you face situations you could never imagine in your home team.
That hurts your ego and sometimes, you react in ways no one expects.
Something like this happened in the Big Bash League (BBL). Usually, in the last over of an innings, a batter will refuse a single to protect the tail-ender and take the strike himself for the next over. Babar Azam has done that many times. But he probably never imagined someone would do the same to him.
Playing for the Sydney Sixers, he opened alongside Steve Smith who hadn’t played a T20 international for two years. On the last ball of the 11th over, Babar played a shot that offered a single, but Smith refused it. Babar looked visibly annoyed. In the next over, Smith smashed 32 runs proving his decision right. Babar, on the other hand, got out on 47 and, while walking off, hit his bat against the boundary rope in frustration.
Fans were stunned, and commentators found his reaction unexpected.
Babar scored 47 off 39 balls, while Smith reached a century off just three balls more a striking contrast between the two innings. Could anyone in the Pakistan team ever dare to act that way with Babar? Of course not.
Earlier, Melbourne Renegades’ captain had even called Mohammad Rizwan back from batting for playing too slowly.
We might find such treatment of our stars unacceptable, but let’s be honest does their batting really suit modern T20 cricket? Are our complaints justified?
Among all batters in the Big Bash, the lowest strike rates belong to these two.
Franchise cricket doesn’t tolerate this they pay you huge sums and expect results. The “king’s reign” works only at home; abroad, your ego doesn’t get the same royal treatment.
This is cricket but the same rule applies in life. At home, we still don’t have enough quality batters to replace Babar, so he’s back in T20s.
At home, you can talk however you like to your parents, but can you speak that way to your boss at work? Of course not.
Those who fail to adapt with time get left behind. Just look at the descendants of past emperors in India today their condition says it all.
We must look at the present, not live in the past. It’s wiser to leave your stardom and ego at home and focus on your work.
The real question is whether Babar still suits modern T20 cricket or whether he should now focus only on Tests and ODIs. The upcoming World Cup will give us the answer.
As for Rizwan, his T20 career seems practically over. Both have done great service for Pakistan, but they have always been criticized for slow batting in T20s and they didn’t make much effort to change themselves. They took things for granted.
Now, facing the world’s best in franchise leagues, their weaknesses are being exposed.
The Bangladesh league is so low in quality that even Haider Ali captains there. Some argue that if Babar and Rizwan had played there, they would’ve continued scoring runs against weak bowling and flat pitches. But in Australia, with world-class bowling and bouncy tracks, they’ve struggled.
Maybe they shouldn’t have gone to the Big Bash — but I don’t agree with that. Both are world-class batters and capable of performing anywhere.
The issue isn’t who they are it’s whether they can focus on what they can become.
There are still matches left they can still show their talent.
Just stop hitting your bat on the boundary rope and start hitting the ball. Only then will your team get runs, and your ego will find true satisfaction.
An explosive half-century by in-form opener Sanju Samson, backed by a disciplined all-round bowling display, helped India secure a narrow seven-run victory over England in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
The victory propelled India into the final, where they will be locking horns with New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Set to chase a daunting 254-run target, England could accumulate 246/7 in their 20 overs despite Jacob Bethell’s gutsy century.
England got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost opener Phil Salt (five) and captain Harry Brook (seven) inside five overs with just 38 runs on the board.
Following the early dismissals, Bethell walked out to bat at No.4 and shared a 26-run partnership for the third wicket with Jos Buttler, who made a 17-ball 25 before falling victim to Varun Chakravarthy on the penultimate delivery of the batting powerplay.
England then suffered another setback to their run chase in the eighth over when Axar Patel cleaned up Tom Banton (17) after being hit for two consecutive sixes, and consequently slipped to 95/4.
Bethell then eventually received formidable support at the other end in the form of all-rounder Will Jacks, and the duo displayed grit to keep England in the hunt as they put together 77 runs off just 39 deliveries amid their fifth-wicket partnership, which culminated with the latter’s dismissal in the 14th over.
Jacks made a notable contribution for England in the run chase with a 20-ball 35, comprising four fours and two sixes.
Bethell then shared a 50-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Sam Curran, who fell victim to Hardik Pandya in the penultimate over after scoring a 14-ball 18.
England’s batting mainstay Bethell eventually got run out on the first delivery of the final over and walked back after top-scoring with a valiant 105 off 48 deliveries, featuring eight fours and seven sixes.
Pandya was the standout bowler for India, taking two wickets for 38 runs in his four overs, while Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with one apiece.
England captain Harry Brook’s decision to field first backfired as the home side piled up 253/7 in their 20 overs.
India, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as their left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma (nine) was dismissed by Will Jacks in the second over with just 20 runs on the board.
The early setback, however, did not bother India as their top-order duo of Ishan Kishan and Samson raised 97 runs for the second wicket off 44 deliveries until Adil Rashid dismissed the former, who remained a notable contributor for the co-hosts with an 18-ball 39.
Samson was then involved in a 43-run partnership for the third wicket with all-rounder Shivam Dube until eventually falling victim to Jacks in the 14th over. He remained the top-scorer for India with a blazing 89 off 42 deliveries, studded with seven sixes and eight fours.
India suffered another major setback to their batting expedition an over later when Adil got their captain Suryakumar Yadav stumped, who could score 11 off six deliveries.
With the scoreboard reading 190/4 in 15.4 overs, Dube was joined by fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the middle, and the duo put together 32 runs for the fifth wicket before the former was run out due to a mix-up, coupled with a direct hit by England captain Brook.
Dube remained a significant run-getter for India in the high-stakes T20 World Cup 2026 fixture, scoring 43 off 25 deliveries with the help of four sixes and a four.
Following his departure, Pandya and Tilak Varma ensured an equally dominant finish with the bat for India with blistering cameos, contributing 27 and 21, respectively. The duo also shared a 24-run partnership.
For England, Jacks and Adil bagged two wickets each, while Archer could pick up one.
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Kyler Murray’s tenure with the Arizona Cardinals is coming to an end.
The team reportedly informed the former No. 1 overall pick this week that he will be released at the start of the new league year, making him a free agent eligible to sign with any team, including, potentially, one in Major League Baseball.
Prior to declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray was a two-sport athlete playing both football and baseball for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Heisman Trophy winner threw for over 4,000 yards and 42 touchdowns during the 2018 season, but the then-Oakland Athletics still selected him with the 9th overall pick in the 2018 draft.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray throws a pass during the first half of an NFL game against the Tennessee Titans in Glendale, Ariz., on Oct. 5, 2025. (Rick Scuteri/AP)
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He signed a contract with a $4.66 million signing bonus, but Murray would forgo his senior year at Oklahoma and declare for the NFL Draft. After seven years in the NFL, Murray’s MLB career still remains a possibility.
“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” A’s general manager David Forst told MLB.com on Wednesday.
“That said, he and his baseball representatives know that we’re always open to him exploring a return to baseball with the A’s if that time ever comes.”
Kyler Murray, the Oakland Athletics’ No. 1 draft pick and outfielder from the University of Oklahoma, looks on during batting practice before the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on June 15, 2018. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Murray, 28, will likely have several options during the offseason. He is currently owed $36.8 million.
His career with the Cardinals has been marred by injuries and other controversies, including the study clause that was initially included in his five-year, $230.5 million deal signed in 2022. The clause was later removed. He appeared in just five games last season after suffering a foot injury, which later landed him on injured reserve.
The Cardinals finished 3-14 behind backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and later fired head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Kyler Murray, the Oakland Athletics’ number one draft pick and outfielder from the University of Oklahoma, takes batting practice before the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on June 15, 2018. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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“To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Murray posted in a farewell message to fans on social media. “I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77-year drought for this organization, I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my brothers nothing but the best.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday sought a public apology over the broadcast of what it described as an “agenda-driven fake news” targeting the character of national cricketers.
In a brief statement, the cricket board termed targeting the national cricketers’ character “unacceptable” and stressed that the reporter responsible for the aforementioned news must publicly apologise without delay.
The PCB further warned of taking “all necessary steps” if the journalist in question fails to comply with the demand.
“Agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the PCB’s statement read.
“The reporter must publicly apologise without delay; failing which, the PCB will take all necessary steps to ensure such malicious conduct is dealt with firmly and nipped in the bud,” it added.
The controversy erupted earlier today when a local news outlet claimed that the Pakistan cricketer was involved in inappropriate behaviour and that hotel staff had filed a formal complaint with the team management.
The report further alleged that the player was involved in inappropriate behaviour, prompting immediate action by the management to assess the matter.
Following a review of the details provided by the hotel and a preliminary investigation, the team management concluded that the Pakistan player had violated the code of conduct and imposed a fine on him.
The claims made in the report, however, were swiftly dismissed by the PCB and Mirza, who announced to take legal action against a local news outlet.
“A absurd News is circulating on media and I strongly condemn this sort of Cheap Journalism. Any Media House can’t air any unverified news,” said Mirza in a Facebook post.
“[Pakistan Cricket Board] has already denied this Baseless & Fake News and I’m going to take Legal Action […]”.
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