Pakistan skipper Babar Azam admitted that the turning point of their semifinal clash against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday was Hasan Ali’s dropped catch. 22 runs were needed off the final two overs but Hasan Ali bungled Matthew Wade’s catch at deep square leg as he over-ran the ball.
Subsequently, Wade smashed a hat-trick of sixes to take his team over the line by five wickets. Wade scored an unbeaten knock of 41 runs off just 17 balls while Marcus Stoinis scored 40 runs off 31 balls as Australia chased down 177 runs with five wickets in hand and one over to spare. The duo added 81 runs off just 35 balls to add the finishing touches for the team and took their side into the World Cup final.
According to ESPN index, Hasan Ali’s dropped catch made a difference of 15 runs and it could have been a different story had he hanged on to his chance. Furthermore, Ali had an expensive outing with the ball as he conceded 44 runs in his quota of four overs and also went wicketless.
Babar Azam felt that they were able to get enough runs on the board but Pakistan conceded 62 runs in the final four overs they bowled. Azam is hopeful that the team will learn from their mistakes and bounce back stronger in the next tournament.
Babar Azam said while talking in the post-match presentation, “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. The turning point was that dropped catch. Had we taken it, the scenario could have been different. The way we gelled and played the entire tournament, I am satisfied as a captain. 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. We gave players roles and they executed it really well. The way the crowds supported us, we enjoyed a lot as a team. We always enjoy playing here”.
Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis batted at the top of their game and played a key role in the team’s thrilling win.
On the other hand, Pakistan would be disappointed as they were ahead for the major part in the game. However, Pakistan had a great campaign and remained unbeaten in the Super 12 stage and should be proud of their performances.
