Pakistan’s Babar Azam admits Hasan Ali mistake ‘cost us the match’ vs Australia

After being dropped by Hasan Ali, Matthew Wade struck three successive sixes to earn Australia a spot in the T20 World Cup final

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Pakistan captain Babar Azam pinpointed Hasan Ali’s drop of Matthew Wade in their T20 World Cup semi-final clash with Australia as the moment which “cost us the match”.

Heading into the 19th over, Australia needed 22 to win and Babar turned to his strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in a bid to break the partnership of Wade and Marcus Stoinis.

And the left-armer looked as though he had done just that when Wade mistimed a shot towards deep midwicket and Hasan ran forward to take the catch.

However, the seamer, who had just been smashed for 15 runs in the previous over, could not cling on to the chance and Wade survived.

He promptly smashed Afridi for three back-to-back sixes to earn Australia the win and book their place in Sunday’s final against New Zealand.

Speaking after the game, Babar said: “When you give teams like Australia a chance they take the match away from you.

“If that catch that Hasan Ali dropped had been taken, maybe the result would have been different.

“As a player, you have to be on your toes and avail any opportunity you get. We made a mistake and it cost us the match.”

However, Babar went on to label Hasan a “fighter” and backed the bowler to come back stronger, adding: “If the catch was taken then the scenario would have been different but it is part of the game.

“He is one of my main bowlers and he has won many matches for Pakistan. Players drop catches but he is a fighter and I will back him.

“Everybody doesn’t perform every day. There is a day when one performs. It was just not his day. He is down and we will lift his mood.”

Reflecting on his side’s performance at the tournament as a whole, Babar said: “The way we played the tournament and gelled together as a team, I am very satisfied with my team’s efforts as captain.

“We’ll try and learn from our mistakes and come back stronger. When you play a big tournament so well, it’s good but you have to perform on the day. You can’t relax in any department.”

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