Following Pakistan’s five-wicket defeat against Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram backed his countrymen Hasan Ali after his dismal show. Akram requested entire Pakistan to not blame Hasan for the dropped catch as it’s just a cricket game and every professional sportsperson goes through this.
"What we don’t want is that the whole country gets after poor Hasan Ali now. I have been through this, Waqar Younis has been through it. In other countries, it’s just a game for people. Next day, you say well-tried, bad luck, better luck next time, and move on," Akram told A Sports.
Moreover, the former left-arm pacer believes that their players are already hurt after the loss and his countrymen shouldn’t add fire to the fuel.
"This situation is as tough for the players as it is for the fans. The players will go to their rooms, they’ll be quiet, they won’t talk to their families and the defeat will haunt them. As a nation, we don’t want to add fire to that fuel," the 55-year-old added.
Despite Pakistan’s dominating performance in the Super 12 stage, Hasan was not in best of forms. The pacer leaked runs at the economy of 11 runs per over against Australia and remained wicketless conceding 44 runs from his quota of four overs.
Moreover, Matthew Wade’s dropped catch on the third ball of the 19th over of the run chase proved decisive in the context of the match as the Australia followed it up with three consecutive sixes to seal the deal.
The loss put an end to Pakistan’s unbeaten 16-T20I streak in Dubai. They remained unbeaten in the Super-12 stage with five consecutive wins.
