Srinagar: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has said that dropped catches cost his side final T20I match of the seven match series against England in Lahore on Sunday.
Dawid Malan hit an unbeaten 47-ball 78 and Harry Brook scored (46 not out) to lift England to 209-3 in 20 overs.
However, the left-hander was given two opportunities in the field by Pakistan’s fielders. Malan was dropped twice by Babar Azam himself on 29 and Mohammad Wasim on 62, Malan struck eight fours and three sixes in the 13th half-century of his T20I career.
“Things don’t go your way every time. I dropped crucial catches tonight as the result might have been a bit different if we held on to them,” Babar said at post match press conference.
“The batters coming in might have felt a bit difficult to get going and we could have restricted them on a low score,” he further added.
Brook, dropped on 24 by Azam off Haris Rauf, struck four sixes and a four in his 29-ball innings and added 108 for the fourth wicket with Malan in 10.1 overs.
In reply, Pakistan was never in the chase as they lost both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the first two overs.
“I and Rizwan got out early today which put a lot of pressure on the middle order. It is always difficult to chase down a target in excess of 200 when you don’t get a good start at the top,” said Azam.