Asia Cup 2023

‘I take responsibility for this loss’ – Shadab Khan apologizes for his lackluster show in the Asia Cup final

Sri Lanka was crowned kings of Asia as they got their sixth Asia Cup title after defeating Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup Final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 11th. While the Pakistani batters have coped with a lot of flak criticism for their lacklustre show, vice-captain Shadab Khan has apologized for his horror show on the field and has taken the blame upon himself for the loss.

Shadab Khan, who is one of the better fielders on the Pakistan side, uncharacteristically dropped two catches under pressure, handing the momentum to their opponents. He dropped a crucial catch of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, parrying the ball for a maximum after colliding with Asif Ali.

He expressed his regret for dropping the crucial catches and he apologized while blaming himself for the defeat against the Lankan Lions in the final. Shadab highlighted the positives for the team after the loss, praising the efforts of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, and Mohammad Rizwan.

“Catches win matches. Sorry, I take responsibility for this loss. I let my team down. Positives for the team, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, and the entire bowling attack were great. Mohammad Rizwan fought hard. The entire team tried their best. Congratulations to Sri Lanka,” Shadab expressed through a tweet.

Here is the tweet

Catches win matches. Sorry, I take responsibility for this loss. I let my team down. Positives for team, @iNaseemShah, @HarisRauf14, @mnawaz94 and the entire bowling attack was great. @iMRizwanPak fought hard. The entire team tried their best. Congratulations to Sri Lanka pic.twitter.com/7qPgAalzbt

— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) September 11, 2022

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam ended the Asia Cup 2022 with another dismal outing and although his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan registered a half-century in the match, the wicketkeeper-batter has coped with the brunt for his slow-paced innings. Rizwan, along with Iftikhar Ahmed, tried to steady the ship when they got together, but they never dominated the Sri Lankan bowlers, who were superb yesterday. Asif Ali was dismissed for a second consecutive duck in the tournament as the batters struggled to play the Sri Lankan spinners in the middle overs.

The loss in the final has got Pakistan a few questions to answer regarding their batting line-up, which lacked intent in the finale against Sri Lanka. But Shadab Khan, along with Mohammad Rizwan, has been a revelation for the Men in Green in the tournament and will be vital for Pakistan’s future plans.