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Cricket Players'Didn't sleep for 2 days. I was crying and so was Shaheen': Hasan Ali on Pakistan's defeat to Australia in T20 WC semis
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has opened up on his infamous dropped catch which cost his team the T20 World Cup semi-final Australia.
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has opened up on his infamous dropped catch which cost Pakistan the T20 World Cup against Australia. With Australia needing 22 runs off the last 2 overs, Ali dropped Matthew Wade in the deep off the third ball bowled by Shaheen Afridi, after which the Australia batter smoked three sixes in three balls to win the match for his team. Ali called the Wade drop the 'toughest moment' of his career and revealed how he could not sleep for the next 2 nights.
"It was the toughest moment of my career so far and it is very difficult to forget these things quickly. Of course, as a professional you have to move on. Honestly, I haven't revealed this to anyone until now but I didn't sleep for two days. My wife was with me and she was tense as I was not sleeping," he told Cricket Pakistan.
"I was quiet and sitting at the side as the dropped catch was appearing in my mind continuously but while traveling to Bangladesh, I told myself that I should move on. In Bangladesh, I took 500 catches in three days and also worked on the no ball issue. I want to keep improving and contributing in team wins."
While Australia went on to win the World Cup, Pakistan’s fabulous run in the tournament came to an end. It was a tough pill to swallow for Pakistan who had played brilliantly in their run up to the semi-final. Pakistan remained unbeaten in the group stage, registering wins over India, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Scotland, and looked nicely poised to make it to the final before Wade’s hat-trick of sixes sealed the deal. Ali revealed how both he and Shaheen, along with the rest of his teammates had a tough time dealing with the outcome of the match.
"All my teammates are aware of how I approach the games and that I don't take the matches lightly. I prepare well and I always try to perform for Pakistan. I give my 120 percent. After the match, I was crying and so was Shaheen; it was an extremely sad moment," Ali added.
"You must have seen that during the match Shoaib bhai (Malik) came to me. He told me that you are a tiger and that I shouldn't fall. The players backed me a lot. In addition to that, I also received a lot of support on social media which helped me ease through the pain."
