‘Brilliant display of sportsmanship’ – Netizens laud Shoaib Malik for consoling Hasan Ali after latter dropped crucial catch in semi-final

Hasan Ali had a forgettable outing in the semi-final clash against Australia as Pakistan suffered a humiliating five-wicket defeat. It was indeed a jailbreak for the Aussie team as Pakistan were in command for the best part of the game and their win also looked inevitable. However, Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis’ onslaught in the end overs took Australia to a thrilling five-wicket win.

Like most of the matches in the T20 World Cup 2021, Hasan couldn’t make the ball talk in the semi-final clash as well. The right-arm pacer conceded as many as 44 runs in his quota of four overs without taking any wicket. While these numbers aren’t impressive any means, it was Hasan’s poor fielding display that cost Pakistan a place in the final clash.

It was the penultimate over of the match and the pacer was stationed at the deep mid-wicket region. Matthew Wade couldn’t connect a big shot properly and Ali looked all set to take the catch. However, he couldn’t grab the ball completely and Wade got a lifeline. Not only Aussies were awarded two extra runs from Hasan’s mistakes but Wade made Pakistan pay by hitting three successive sixes to seal the game for Australia.

Shoaib Malik’s gesture for Hasan Ali was widely appreciated

While Ali earned a lot of criticism for effectively dropping the T20 World Cup, a moment on the field was widely lauded by commentators and netizens. Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik rushed towards the pacer and cheered him after the catch was dropped. Having played international cricket for two decades, Malik indeed understands the pressure of a high-voltage match. Hence, he didn’t miss out on consoling the gutted Ali.

Netizens were heartwhelmed seeing Malik’s gesture as the all-rounder received praises from different corners. “No one knows what Hassan Ali went through when he dropped that catch. Be like Shoaib Malik,” on social media user wrote.

Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam also admitted that the story could have been different had Hasan Ali took that catch. “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. Hopefully, we’ll learn from this for the next tournament,” he said after the game.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Shoaib Malik’s gesture:-