Pakistan star pacer, Hasan Ali has said that the moment when he dropped a regulation catch of Australian wicket-keeper-batter, Matthew Wade, at a crucial time in the T20 World Cup semi-final last year in the United Arab Emirates was the toughest time in his career.
While answering a question in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Hasan Ali, who put down a simple catch of Wade off Shaheen Afridi, said that he could not sleep for two nights.
“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,” Hasan added.
Hasan further said that he and Shaheen Afridi cried after the match. “After the match, I was crying and so was Shaheen; it was an extremely sad moment,” said Hasan.
Hasan, who was awarded best player of the tournament in Champions Trophy back in 2017, said that after the incident, he was motivated and supported by Shoaib Malik who was also part of Pakistan playing XI in the T20 World Cup Semi-Final.
“Shoaib bhai came to me and told me that you are a tiger and that I shouldn’t fall. In addition to that, I also received a lot of support on social media which helped me ease through the pain,” he said.
“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,” he said.
Hasan Ali, who represents Pakistan in all formats, further stated that he did not take that particular match lightly. It is to mention here that, following that dropped catch of Wade, the left-handed batter smashed three consecutive sixes to Shaheen and led his side to the victory and booked a final berth for the Kangaroos.
