Dropped catch was turning point: Babar Azam

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said that the result of the semi-final against Australia could have been different if the catch in the penultimate over had been taken.

“If we had taken that catch, it might have made the difference,” Babar said while speaking at the post-match presentation on Thursday.

Australia, chasing 177 to win, required 18 off 10 balls when Hasan Ali dropped Matthew Wade off Shaheen Afridi.

He almost overran the ball, and let it slip through his fingers as Pakistan saw a rare dropped catch in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.

Wade made Pakistan pay for this rare mistake, and went on to hit three consecutive sixes off the next three balls to finish the game with 6 balls to spare, confirming his side's second T20 World Cup final appearance against New Zealand on Sunday.

Australia and New Zealand will contest the final in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Babar said the team reached the total they had targeted, but felt that they could have done things better in the final few overs during Australia's chase.

Pakistan let it slip in the final five overs when Australia needed another 62 runs to win. However, Wade and Marcus Stoinis ensured Australia reached the target with an entire over to spare. Afridi was taken for 22 off the 19th over of the innings.

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"The way we started in the first half, we got the total we targeted. But we gave them too much of a chance at the end of their chase.

The skipper, however, commended his team’s overall effort in the tournament, and said he was satisfied with their performance.

“The way we played this tournament, the way we gelled, I'm very satisfied as a captain. I hope we try and learn from our mistakes after this. Definitely, if we've played so well in a tournament, we'll gain confidence, and we'll continue to try and play this way. The roles we'd defined for the players, they all executed those very well.”

Babar also thanked the crowd for their unmatched support throughout the event.