Pakistan cruised to a convincing 10-wicket victory against India at their opening encounter of the 2021 T20 World Cup on Sunday. While this was Pakistan’s first-ever 10-wicket triumph in T20 cricket format, it was India’s first-ever 10-wicket loss in the game as well.
Australian legend and Pakistan’s batting consultant Matthew Hayden is full of praises for the Pakistan team after they registered their first win over their arch-rival in World Cup history. Previously Pakistan had lost each of the 12 matches between the two sides in the ICC Cricket World Cup and the T20 World Cup.
Speaking in this regard, the former Australian opener said that cricket is not just a sport in Pakistan and India but people embrace it like a religion and the Indo-Pak clash is always a quest for the Holy Grail.
He added that the most exciting thing about the Indo-Pak match is the brilliant sporting brotherhood that brings people together. For instance, former Indian captain MS Dhoni was seen meeting several Pakistani players or the incumbent Indian captain Virat Kohli smiling and hugging Muhammad Rizwan after the wicketkeeper batter thrashed the Indian team.
Where the environment of the dressing room is concerned, he revealed that the Pakistan team did not get carried away with the celebrations and demonstrated humility and sense of purpose moving to the next game with New Zealand.
Hayden also recalled the contributions of the former Australian cricketer, coach, and commentator Dean Jones for the improvement of cricket in Pakistan, adding that Dean was always there for Pakistani cricket.
Whenever they talked in the past, Deans always praised young Pakistani players and cherished Pakistan’s culture and cricket environment.
He added that the game of cricket goes beyond borders and the Pakistani team has made him feel at home. The most admirable thing about Pakistani players is that they are always respectful to the game.
Although Indian fans turned out in huge numbers to support their team, it didn’t bother the Pakistani team one bit as they remained calm throughout the game and put up a clinical performance. Pakistani fans dominated Indian fans when they fell silent after seeing a lackluster performance from their team.
With the ball, the Pakistani team didn’t let Indian batters express themselves, said Hayden, adding that the two wicket-taking deliveries bowled by Shaheen Afridi were the best he has ever seen.
Velocity is something that has vanished from the game but Pakistan still has it in abundance and Shaheen Afridi is the leader of all Pakistani pacers. He dismissed Rohit Sharma with a fast yorker that was executed to perfection and bowled the in-form KL Rahul with an unplayable delivery.
Hayden asserted that nothing beats velocity coupled with a bit of skill and Pakistani pacers Waqar Younis, Waseem Akram, and Shoaib Akhtar had this talent over the years. This is what Shaheen Afridi has got in abundance.
