“Didn't sleep for 2 days” - Hasan Ali opens up on dropped catch in T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has revealed that he couldn’t sleep for two days after dropping Matthew Wade's catch in the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final against Australia. Hasan also termed it the toughest moment of his career so far.
Chasing a target of 177, Pakistan had the upper hand going into the last couple of overs. However, Hasan dropped a simple catch of Wade off Shaheen Afridi’s bowling in the penultimate over. The Aussie wicketkeeper-batter then slammed the left-arm seamer for three consecutive sixes to knock Pakistan out of the World Cup.
Reflecting on the dropped catch, which led to Hasan being subjected to massive online abuse, the pacer told Cricket Pakistan:
"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."
The 27-year-old added that he worked really hard to get over the heartbreak, the results of which showed during the subsequent Bangladesh series. Hasan added:
"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.”
The pacer was adjudged the Man of the Match in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Dhaka, returning with figures of 3 for 22.
“I was crying and so was Shaheen” - Hasan Ali
During the interaction, Hasan also opened up on the dressing room environment following Pakistan’s loss to Australia in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year. He revealed that both him and Afridi, who was taken apart by Wade, burst into tears. He said:
"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.”
Hasan 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.”
The winner of the @Nissan #POTD from Semi-Final 2 of the 2021 ICC Men's #T20WorldCup is:
Matthew Wade's triple sixes against Shaheen Afridi 🔥 https://t.co/Hpg0mUpjPl
The fast bowler is currently representing Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).