Hussain Talat faces severe backlash over dropped catch in Asia Cup 2025 final

DUBAI: Pakistan’s all-rounder Hussain Talat drew severe backlash from cricket fans for dropping a crucial catch during the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 final against arch-rivals India here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The incident occurred on the third delivery of the ninth over, bowled short by Abrar Ahmed, and Sanju Samson backed away and pulled it towards the deep mid-wicket, where Talat was patrolling the boundary.

The 29-year-old ran in and got both hands to the ball but spilt the catch, giving Samson a lifeline.

Talat, as a result, found himself at the receiving end of criticism from cricket fans, who held him responsible for “ruining” the match.

“Hussain Talat ruined it completely!” a cricket fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another fan voiced his frustration and asserted that Talat dropping Samson could be the reason behind Pakistan’s defeat.

“Hussain Talat dropping Samson will be the reason why we lost the game,” the fan claimed.

A cricket fan alleged the all-rounder for letting the bowling unit down by dropping the catch at a crucial juncture of the high-stakes match.

“Sir Hussain Talat drops a regulation catch at the most crucial time of the game causing the bowling effort to go down the drain. How do u expect to win games with such dismal performance?” the fan questioned.

One of the cricket fans claimed that Talat “dropped the cup”, arguing that had the catch been taken, the required run rate for India would have climbed more than nine, which would have put them under immense pressure, being four down in the absence of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

“Had it been taken, the required runrate in the last 10 overs would be 9+ an over with 4 down and no Hardik Pandya. Hussain Talat you dropped the cup!”