‘I didn’t sleep for two days’ – Hasan Ali speaks on the toughest moment of his career after Pakistan’s 2021 T20 WC semi-final loss
The 27-year-old didn't have a memorable outing in the game against Australia
Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali said that he found himself in mental turmoil after his team lost the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final to Australia back in November. In that game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Punjab-born pacer had a torrid time. Neither did he perform with the ball, nor could he perform as an outfielder.
The 27-year-old gave away 44 runs in the four overs he bowled as he failed to hit the right channels in the crunch moments. The worst was yet to come for him as in the final over, he dropped Matthew Wade’s catch at deep mid-wicket when the match was hanging in the balance. The missed chance also denied Shaheen Shah Afridi a crucial wicket.
Wade made Pakistan pay for the blemish as he smashed Afridi for three sixes on the trot to help Australia win with one over to spare. The Aussies eventually went on to win the trophy after beating New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson, in the final.
Hasan Ali, in the meantime, was greeted with a lot of criticism after he failed to deliver in the crunch moments. The seamer said that he found it hard to sleep for the next few days as the horror show in Dubai kept rattling him.
Hasan Ali opens up
“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 Ali was quoted as saying in Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan had won five matches in the Super 12 as they defeated India, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia without breaking much sweat. They were deemed one of the favorites to lift the title before they went down in the semis.
After the poor show, Hasan Ali made a decent comeback in his very next T20I against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. He got the Player of the Match award for his three-wicket haul as his team won the game comfortably.
Hasan Ali is currently playing for the Shadab Khan-led Islamabad United in the 2022 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
