The T20 World Cup’s knockout rounds are where Pakistan’s under-fire captain Babar Azam is expected to provide “something exceptional,” according to squad coach Matthew Hayden. Babar, the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is since the last World Cup, has struggled in the current tournament; his best performance in the previous five games was a 33-ball 25 against Bangladesh.
In the pre-game news conference prior to Wednesday’s semifinal match against New Zealand, Hayden stated, “…don’t be surprised in the slightest if you don’t see any pyrotechnics because extremely special players don’t generally remain down for long.”
Matthew Hayden’s Warning To Pakistan’s Enemies: “About To See Something Very Special From Babar Azam”
Without a doubt, Babar has experienced some hardship. He’ll become not just a better player as a result of it… You can’t keep pounding out hundreds, fifty, and strike rates of 140 or more.
There must be lulls in the action from time to time. And as is common knowledge regarding the weather, a storm frequently follows a pause. So be on the lookout, rest of the world, because I believe Babar is about to show you something extremely extraordinary.
After losing to India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan was on the verge of being eliminated, but the Netherlands’ unexpected victory over South Africa opened a door, and they overcame Bangladesh in their final Super 12 game to secure the semifinal position.
The last World Cup, we entered the semifinals undefeated, and Australia beat us, so it has been a rollercoaster, but Hayden wouldn’t have it any other way. So, yes, this tournament has its ups and downs, but I firmly feel that we still have our best game, which poses a serious threat to our opponents.
“Those fast bowlers, man, there’s four of them and they come at terrific pace,” said the fast bowler, “and the way the middle order has stepped up to the plate has been excellent.” Hayden was impressed by the middle order’s contribution to the team’s success despite Babar and Mohammad Rizwan’s struggles at the top.
The former Australian starting pitcher picked out Mohammad Haris, who scored 59 runs in just two innings, for praise.
“While the batting hasn’t gone quite according to plan, it has forced our middle order guys to step up, and young Haris has been one of them.
“Great narrative, one of the most important World Cup stories ever. He’s not even on the team, but he’s now playing as he should have been from the beginning. Hayden believes Haris’ net practise against the pacers was beneficial.
“Seeing how he came in and played so wonderfully is no surprise. He has excellent technique on our quick, bouncey pitches. He exudes freshness, the man said.
“As an outsider entering this tournament, one of the things is that with the amount of programming, pretty much the entire cricketing community is exhausted to some extent. Therefore, it has been a beautiful expression for him personally as well as for team Pakistan to have a youthful, fresh face with nothing to lose and truly nothing to gain but just play with great freedom. In reference to their semi-final opponents, Hayden stated that Pakistan will face numerous threats from New Zealand.
“I believe New Zealand had some pretty destructive players, and using the bat may be stressful…”
Additionally, they have an excellent and well-balanced bowling attack. Good blend of experience, according to the 51-year-old.
“I even faced Tim Southee in a game; that just goes to show how much experience that team has… With his outstanding speed and extensive T20 cricket expertise, Lockie Ferguson presents a number of threats. Additionally, they are skilled in off-pace bowling.
“I believe that New Zealand sports generally punch much above their weight. They have the ability to succeed in their belief that they can win this competition. There are definitely a lot of threats to our camp.
