Asia Cup 2022: 'Don't humiliate', former Pakistan batter Mohammad Hafeez comes in support of Arshdeep Singh

Sep 5, 2022 - 18:30

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Asia Cup 2022: 'Don't humiliate', former Pakistan batter Mohammad Hafeez comes in support of Arshdeep Singh

Indian fans were left disheartened after the Men in Blue lost to arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the Super Four game of the Asia Cup on Sunday. Much ire was directed towards Indian bowlers, particularly Arshdeep Singh. The young bowler dropped a crucial catch of Asif Ali in the 18th over. Asif Ali later went on to slam a couple of boundaries and take Pakistan past the finish line.

Many social media users blamed Arshdeep Singh for the loss and posted derogatory messages regarding the 23-year-old’s performance. However, former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has come out in support of Arshdeep Singh and requested Indian fans to not “humiliate” him.

“My request to all Indian team fans. In sports we make mistakes as we r human. Please don’t humiliate anyone on these mistakes”, Mohammad Hafeez wrote. He also tagged Arshdeep Singh in the tweet.

My request to all Indian team fans. In sports we make mistakes as we r human. Please don’t humiliate anyone on these mistakes. @arshdeepsinghh
— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) September 4, 2022

In the post-match conference, former India skipper Virat Kohli also came out in defence of Arshdeep Singh. “Anyone can make a mistake, the situation was tight. It was a high-pressure game and mistakes can happen. I still remember I was playing my first Champions Trophy and the match was against Pakistan, I had played a very bad shot against Shahid Afridi. I was watching the ceiling till 5 am, I was not able to sleep and I thought my career is over but these things are natural,” Kohli stated.

Arshdeep Singh took one wicket and gave away 27 runs in 3.5 overs. While he did take the wicket of Asif Ali in the final over, it was already too late. Pakistan required only two runs off the last two deliveries. They reached the target of 182 with one ball to spare.

India will next face off against Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage on Tuesday. The match is set to take place at Dubai International Stadium. India need to win their fixtures against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan if they want to reach the Asia Cup 2022 finals.