Babar Azam points out Hasan Ali's drop catch as 'turning point' but promises to 'lift his mood' after loss to Australia
T20 World Cup: Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted that Hasan Ali's dropped opportunity which could have sent Wade back to the dug-out, was the turning point in the semi-final which they lost by 5 wickets.
Pakistan were much in control of the game, especially after David Warner's dismissal reducing the equation to 62 required in the final five overs. But Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis teed off in the fag end of the chase to carry Australia past the target with an over to spare, winning by five wickets to reach their second final at a T20 World Cup. Looking back at the second innings, Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted that Hasan Ali's dropped opportunity which could have sent Wade back to the dug-out, was the turning point in the game.
The pacer conceded 15 runs in the 18th over and then dropped Wade in the 19th over before the Aussie struck a hat-trick of sixes to complete the chase. Babar felt that the dismissal would have brought a new batsman at the crease and that would have subsequently made an impact on the result as well.
"The turning point of the match was the dropped catch of Matthew Wade. A new batter coming in then and it would have been a different scenario and maybe a different result. As a player you should always be on your toes and take any opportunity that arises," Babar said in the post-match presentation.
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The Pakistan captain however promised to lift Hasan Ali's mood and back him.
“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,” he added.
Put to bat first, Pakistan amassed 176 runs for the loss of four wickets with Mohammad Rizwan scoring his third fifty in the tournament while Fakhar Azam hit a 32-ball 55. Babar, who scored a 30-ball 39, was happy with the target set, but rued missed-opportunities while defending the total.
"I thought we scored as many runs as we had planned in the first innings. I think if we give such teams a chance in the back end, it is going to be costly. Hopefully we'll learn from this for the next tournament. When you play so well throughout, there were small mistakes that cost us the match in the end," he said.
Australia will now face New Zealand in the final on Sunday in Dubai.
