Pakan mentor Matthew Hayden lauds team’s ‘sensational’ performance against New Zealand

Pakan team mentor Mathew Hayden on Wednesday lauded the Pakan team’s performance against New Zealand in the semifinal, terming it as sensational. He also made a special mention about how Pakan captain Babar Azam was throwing balls to opening partner Mohammad Rizwan before the start of the match, which the Australian legend said “was exactly what this team needs.”
“I want to make special mention to a moment that I saw at the start of the play today. That was Rizi and Babar. Babar throwing the balls to Rizi and I just thought, you know from an opening partnership’s point of view, that’s exactly what this team requires, moving forward now. It’s just extraordinary that that couple decided to do that. Plenty of coaches around but Babar showed that it was not just about Babar but it was also about his mate on the other end,” Hayden said in the Pakan locker room as everyone cheered.
Babar and Rizwan would go on to stitch their 3rd 100+ partnership in T20 World Cups which would go a long way in securing Pakan’s win. Both openers were sent back Trent Boult but that time it was too little too late for the Black Caps as Pakan romped to victory.

Matthew Hayden praises the “sensational performance” of the Pakan team in the semi-final win at the SCG 🙌#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/tGpO0OD0Jk
— Pakan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 9, 2022
Hayden also praised the Pakani bowling attack, terming it extraordinary while also saying that their fielding efforts were extraordinary.
“Even though there were 22 or 23 twos conceded, I can’t remember one of those twos coming from no effort. There were genuine good running and again, the efforts in the field and your athletic abilities and some of the classic saves…” he said before he paused as someone in the room brought up the “classic” run out of Devon Conway Shadab Khan.
The Aussie great acknowledged the cheers and continued, “Actually even before the run out, that fielding effort, you know where you dived and got up around, that sort of stuff that wins big matches. And I said this at the start of the day, you have to opt in in big matches. Everyone at this stage will will go ‘Pakan you have done a great job’, it doesn’t matter but our efforts and collective partnerships and our belief in each other mean that we are actually opting even more in because that’s what it takes to win a championship. That’s what it takes to win a semifinal,”
So guys, that was a flawless display of superb cricket. Flawless display of bowling, fielding, some quality efforts and extraordinary batting. Again Haris, it was a little tricky situation but that was another injection of great energy and great enthusiasm. So that was a complete performance and the world will see more of that in four days’ time,” he signed off.