Pakistan’s dream of entering the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 final came to an abrupt end with Aaron Finch’s Australia posting a stunning five-wicket win in the second semifinal on Thursday (November 11). Babar Azam’s side looked on course for a win after reducing Australia to 96/5 and had 20 to defend off the last 10 balls. But paceman Hasan Ali dropped Matthew Wade on the boundary in the 19th over and the Australian wicketkeeper batsman then smashed the next three Shaheen Shah Afridi deliveries for sixes to seal the win.
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Wade’s three sixes in that over got Australia over the line but the turning point of the match was Hasan Ali dropping a not so difficult chance at the mid-wicket boundary in the third ball of the over. The dropped catch gave Wade another life, ending Pakistan’s hope of getting to the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021.
Here are some hilarious reactions to Hasan Ali’s dropped catch…
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam expressed his disappointment after his side got thrashed by Australia at the Dubai International Stadium. “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,” said Babar Azam in a post-match presentation.
“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,” he added.
Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman played knocks of 67 and 55 as Pakistan scored 176/4. Australia will now lock horns against New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday (November 14) at the Dubai International Stadium.
