Pakistan captain Babar Azam has pinned the blame for losing the big semi-final contest against Australia on the dropped catch by Hasan Ali of Mathew Wade.
The left-hander was taking the game away from the Pakistan side before he mistimed a lofted shot towards deep midwicket where Hasan was stationed. However, he could not latch on to it and Wade went on to produce three sixes on the next three deliveries to lead Australia to the final of the tournament.
Babar said that the result of the game would have been in their favour had Wade not got that extra opportunity and rued giving a quality side like Australia one extra chance to win the game.
"When you give teams like Aus a chance they take the match away from you," Babar said after the game. "If that catch that Hasan Ali dropped had been taken, maybe the result would have been different. As a player, you have to be on your toes and avail any opportunity you get. We made a mistake and it cost us the match."
Pakistan were undefeated throughout the tournament before the loss to Australia and Babar expressed his satisfaction for the consistency of his side. He assured the fans they will learn the lessons from their mistakes in this tournament and vowed to make a stronger comeback.
"The way we played the tournament and gelled together as a team, I am very satisfied with my team's efforts as captain," Babar said. "We'll try and learn from our mistakes and come back stronger. When you play a big tournament so well, it's good but you have to perform on the day. You can't relax in any department,” Babar added.