'I thought the catch was taken' - Ahmed Shehzad reveals why he appealed for dropped catch against Sri Lanka in 2015

Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has opened up about a dropped catch in a one-day international (ODI) match against Sri Lanka in 2015. Notably, the cricketer had appealed for the catch after pointing out that the ball had never reached the ground and was instead lodged between his biceps and forearm.

Sri Lanka batter Lahiru Thirimanne smashed a delivery from Yasir Shah towards the leg-side, and the ball went to the Shehzad in the deep. Shehzad appealed for a catch, but the third umpire declared that it was not out. Notably, he emerged as the Player of the Match in that game for his match-winning knock of 95 off 90. 

Shehzad was asked about the incident eight years later and the 31-year-old admitted that he made a mistake in his judgment as he thought he took the catch. He also said that his eyes were closed at that moment and is unsure about whether the catch has been taken or not.

"It was an error of judgment from my side. I thought the catch was taken. I was quite confident that the ball got stuck here (shows elbow) and it was there throughout. If you watch that video from the start, the impact came here (shows elbow again). My eyes were closed, and you don't really know if the catch has been taken," Shehzad said on the Nadir Ali podcast.

Errors are a different thing, but you cannot sneak away with a false catch: Ahmed Shehzad

When asked if he intended to claim the catch so that the umpire sent the batter back without checking, Shehzad said he did not know it was a false catch. He added that it is impossible for someone to appeal after knowing that it is not out with "180 cameras watching". He went on to say that mistakes will happen, but one cannot sneak away with a false catch.

"No, no, I promise I didn't know. It is not possible that you know it is not out and still you would appeal with 180 cameras watching. You cannot just sneak away like that in front of the camera. Errors are a different thing, but you cannot sneak away with a false catch," the batter added.