Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam found himself under the scanner of criticism and trolling after he made an irresponsible statement against his teammate Hasan Ali, blaming him for costing them the match. He highlighted how the dropped catch could have made all the difference. He had said:
“The turning point was that dropped catch by Hasan Ali. Had we taken it, the scenario could have been different”.
Well, there’s no denying the fact that Pakistan could have avoided the defeat if pacer Hasan Ali hadn’t dropped Wade at deep mid-wicket in the 19th over. Wade went bonkers after that moment and smashed 3 back-to-back sixes to take his side home. But it’s a part and parcel of the game. There have been many instances in the past when a dropped catch turned the course of a game.
Therefore, Babar Azam’s statement for Hasan Ali didn’t go down well with the fans as they felt that a leader doesn’t throw his teammates under the bus.
However, Azam sought to make amends for his comment later during the post-match press conference, Babar Azam backed Hasan Ali by saying that only a player drops a catch on the field and the costly mistake was not the reason for his team’s ouster.
During the presser, Babar Azam was asked about Hasan Ali’s average performance in the world cup followed by the missed opportunity in the semis. Responding to this, Babar Azam said: “Thank you so much. But I don’t feel that way [dropping Hasan Ali] because he’s my main bowler. He has won us so many games and obviously, players often drop catches.”
He added:
“But the way he’s been fighting, I’ll definitely back him. It often happens with a player. If an individual has a bad day, he keeps on pushing himself. He is down right now but we’ll try to uplift his confidence. Logon ka kaam hai batein karna, hamara kam hai unko uthana (People will continue talking but we’ll keep backing our players,”
?️ “Hasan Ali is my main bowler. He has won matches for Pakistan. I will continue to back him.” – Babar Azam#PAKvAUS | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/4zh1KdRfat
— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) November 11, 2021
