- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
PAKISTAN batting consultant Matthew Hayden on Thursday (21) said the upcoming clash between India and Pakistan at the ongoing T20 World Cup will be a ‘dogfight’ and no one team would run away with the game.
Both teams will play their first game of the tournament against each other at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (24).
“One side is not going to run away with the game here. It’s a dogfight. The conditions and margins for error will be very little. And so, good leadership will be the key. Babar (Azam) commands that presence and commands that role. In the batting sense as well, he is the premium player. He will be targeted,” Hayden, a former Australia opener, said in a virtual press conference.
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“He will be the person who every player would want to put in his pockets. There will be pressure on him both as a captain and as a batsman. But I sense that the way he will go about with it will be spot on,” he added.
Azam will captain the Pakistani side in what will be his maiden T20 World Cup. India will be led by Virat Kohli who will step down as the national T20 captain after the premier championship.
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Speaking on the rivalry between the two Asian cricket powerhouses, Hayden, who will turn 50 later this month, said, “Nothing that I have ever seen through the various elements of our game ever matches the rivalry of India and Pakistan. There is an obvious pressure much like the pressure that’s there when you play against England for Australia. But the pressure is only as much as you allow it to be. Your preparation is there, your experience is there, your opportunity now becomes a history-making opportunity.”
“We can present all the stats, do all our homework and research, but nothing can replace all the stuff that we all dream about, or coach about and commentate on which will be the game itself. I can sense that the players are waiting for that opportunity. I can sense that there is a sense of calm about that. It’s now the opportunity of playing the game,” he added.
The former cricketer was appointed as Pakistan’s batting consultant ahead of the T20 World Cup while former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander was roped in as the bowling consultant.
“I would have never thought in my wildest dream that I would be sitting inside the Pakistan dressing room,” Hayden said.
While India won both their warm-up games ahead of the high-voltage clash, dominating England and Australia, Pakistan defeated defending champions West Indies but lost to South Africa.
