‘No panic’: Sixers dismiss slow start concerns as star recruit Babar Azam backed to deliver with the bat

Josh Philippe insists the word “panic” isn’t part of the Sydney Sixers vocabulary as the big-hitting batter backed superstar signing Babar Azam to adjust to Australian conditions following a slow start to his Big Bash career. Azam arrived in the BBL as the highest run-scorer in T20 internationals but has managed just 11 runs in his first two innings after he was again removed cheaply in his side’s loss to the Strikers on Wednesday night. The prolific Pakistani has dominated world cricket, and Philippe is confident it’s only a matter of time until he delivers for the men in magenta. “He’s a world-class player,” Philippe said following the three-wicket loss to Adelaide. “It’s probably challenging coming to Australia with these bouncy surfaces, but with a couple of games under the belt and a few more sessions, he’ll be absolutely fine. “His record is outstanding so I have no doubt that he’ll be in the runs next game.” The Sixers have lost their opening two matches and must regroup quickly ahead of the Sydney Smash on Saturday when they can ill-afford another loss to the Thunder. The BBL heavyweights have prided themselves on making fast starts to tournaments, with the Sixers starting 4-0 last season and 3-0 the previous year. But they have shown they can recover with Sydney losing their first two games in the 2022-23 season before dropping just one of their next 12 matches to finish second on the ladder. “I’m pretty sure we’ve been in this position before so there’s certainly no panic around our group,” Philippe said. “It’s always tough going to Optus (Perth’s Optus Stadium) and I don’t think we’ve had too many wins going over there over the years, so we weren’t too worried about that (losing the first game) because we took that game deep. “We were probably a bit short with the bat (against Adelaide) but still took the game really deep, so there are plenty of promising signs. “There certainly won’t be any panic.” Philippe enters the Sydney derby in good form after blasting 46 off 28 in his new role at No.3 to accommodate Azam at the top of the order. He’s disappointed he hasn’t been able to contribute a big score yet, with the dynamic batter hoping to face more spin bowling in the coming weeks given that’s one of the reasons he was moved down the order. “I don’t mind, I’m happy to bat wherever,” he said. “I was in the power play again and they bowled one over of spin in the first 10 overs. “Whether that’s a plan from them or not, I don’t know, but I still haven’t faced a lot of that yet. I’m happy to play where required. “I feel like I’m striking them nicely, but it’d be nice to go on with it a little bit more and get a slightly bigger score and bat a bit deeper. “But I guess the nature of T20 cricket is that when you feel there’s a good match-up, I still think it’s really important that you try to take that on and score heavily. “It didn’t quite work out tonight and I wasn’t happy about it, but that’s the game.”