Pakistan international Hasan Ali has come to the defence of his friend Shadab Khan amid growing criticism around his recent performances.
The latest issue occurred during the fifth T20I international between Pakistan and New Zealand at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium where Shadab dropped Mark Chapman’s catch in the 14th over with the New Zealander on 67.
Chapman would then go on to score an unbeaten 104 and help New Zealand level the five-match series 2-2. Even Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam would go on to call the dropped catch the turning point of the match.
Taking to Twitter, Hasan Ali threw his support behind Shadab Khan, calling him the “Prince of Pakistan”.
The all-rounder is well aware of the negative impact constant criticism can have on a player. During the 2021 T20 World Cup, Hasan dropped Matthew Wade’s catch himself before the left-hander went on to smash Shaheen for three straight sixes which eliminated Pakistan from the competition with Hasan catching plenty of flak afterwards.
There are already growing rumours that Shadab may be replaced as vice-captain of the national team, especially after failing to lead his side past Afghanistan when given the opportunity and mishaps like in the 5th T20I will not help his case.
Hasan is currently applying his trade for Warwickshire while Shadab is currently preparing for the ODI series against New Zealand.
