“I really like the struggle. I think it gives you an opportunity to be able to grow and reflect as a team,” Hayden says before the final.
Currently, Matthew Hayden serves as a team mentor for Pakistan. Since it is not narrowly defined, he is in a better position to provide his opinion on a wider range of issues than if he had been a bowling coach or batting consultant, as he was during the men’s T20 World Cup in 2016. Hayden would take that freedom nearly to its breaking point two days before the men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final at the MCG, pontificating on topics as diverse as India’s lack of a legspinner in their semi-final team and the “commitment to Islam” of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
Given that PCB chief Ramiz Raja recruited him for this position, it should come as no surprise that Hayden brings a vibes-over-tactics mentality to this Pakistan team. To attend the ICC Board meeting, Raja has traveled to Melbourne, Australia. He was the one who caught the ball that ultimately led to Pakistan’s victory in the 50-overs men’s World Cup thirty years ago. He spoke with the press at the MCG, but Hayden was the real star. Hayden’s outgoing nature shouldn’t be seen as a reflection of his cricketing acumen, and he found himself nearly verbalizing his assessment of Pakistan’s challenge in the final.
“You’ve got quality fast bowling versus quality batting. It’s why you want to watch the game,” says Hayden. “We’ve got four quicks – not just Shaheen [Shah Afridi] and Naseem [Shah] – who can create some sustainable damage inside 20 overs. One of the things that I think that India was really missing last night also in the spin-bowling department was a leg-spinning option, really a sixth-bowling option. This side has six genuine options and a seventh as well, you know, should Ifti [Iftikhar Ahmed] be required. The bases are covered.”
“I think both sides actually have got very equal set-ups. So you look at the England set-up as well, they’ve got genuinely six bowling options and a handy option of having batting allrounders as well, with Moeen Ali and also [Adil] Rashid. So yeah, it’s just even stevens. At the start of this tournament, I always thought that England was going to be a huge threat to this tournament. And here we are on the eve of a final”, he added.
Hayden’s attendance before the final is good luck for the team he currently coaches if his previous experience with a press pack is any indication. Prior to Pakistan’s semi-final match against New Zealand on Tuesday, he had spoken passionately in Babar’s defense, predicting that the Pakistan skipper will make a huge contribution in the next match. Babar and his close friend Rizwan were back to their irrepressible best in the semi-final, putting the game out of New Zealand’s grasp with a 105-run partnership in only 12.4 overs.
