Pakistan star Bismah Maroof comes in support of Hasan Ali, asks him to 'stay strong' amid heavy criticism

Pakistan speedster Hasan Ali was subject to severe criticism post the Babar Azam-led Men in Green's five-wicket loss at the hands of Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 edition. On Thursday evening (November 11), Babar & Co. were asked to bat first as they posted a competitive 176-4 but failed to defend the score despite dominating the proceedings till the 15th over of Aaron Finch-led Australia's run-chase.

Finch & Co. were tottering at 96-5 and needed 50 runs off 4 fours. However, Marcus Stoinis' 40not out and Matthew Wade's 41* took the Aussies home, with an over to spare. In the penultimate over, Wade took on in-form bowler Shaheen Afridi. He smacked him for three consecutive sixes but had also given a regulation catch to Hasan, stationed at the deep.

Nonetheless, the 27-year-old speedster Hasan made a mess of the catch and gave Wade a reprieve. Thus, he was trolled mercilessly on social media platforms on religious grounds and marital status. Now, Pakistan women cricket's current captain Bismah Maroof has supported Hasan in a heartfelt post on Twitter.

"Dear@RealHa55an, We've seen you making Pakistan proud at the highest level We know your passion for this game and our country Pakistan. Your energy and presence on the field have always been remarkable. Stay strong Champion and make a great comeback insha'Allah," tweeted Maroof.

With the ball in hand, Hasan also had a forgettable outing as he returned with 4-0-44-0.

Post Pakistan's defeat, Babar said at the post-match presentation, "I thought we scored as many runs as we had planned in the first innings. I think if we give such teams a chance in the back end, it is going to be costly. 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. When you play so well throughout, there were small mistakes that cost us the match in the end. We gave players roles and they executed it really well. The way the crowds supported us, we enjoyed a lot as a team. We always enjoy playing here."