SYDNEY: According to squad coach Matthew Hayden, Pakistan’s best is still to come, and their struggling captain Babar Azam is due “something really exceptional” in their T20 World Cup semifinal match against New Zealand on Wednesday.
The Netherlands shockingly overcame South Africa, and Pakistan then defeated Bangladesh to claim their second consecutive last-four ticket, allowing the 2009 winners to barely make it into the knockout rounds.
They intended to make the most of their second chance, according to former Australia opener and current team mentor Hayden, who served as Pakistan’s batting coach at the last World Cup.
It was an important moment for us and the team as a whole in terms of realizing its potential when the Netherlands defeated South Africa “On the eve of the Sydney semi-final, he stated.
“Numerous prayers were said when Pakistan awoke to learn of the outcome—232 million people can’t all be incorrect, can they?—and as a result, I believe our group’s pace has been much boosted.
“It has been a roller-coaster, but I honestly think we still haven’t played our best game, which is a major danger to the opponent.”
While Pakistan’s bowling, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, has gotten better, their batting has been shaky, which is concerning when playing against a top-notch New Zealand attack featuring Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Lockie Ferguson.
Particularly, Azam’s performance is still concerning since the opener has only scored 39 runs in five games.
The skipper was due some “fireworks,” according to Hayden, a devastating opener who played in 103 Tests and 161 ODIs. He anticipated they may start on Wednesday.
There is no doubt that Babar has faced some hardship, but he will only become a better player as a result, the coach stated.
“Look out, rest of the world. I think we’re going to witness something really spectacular from Babar,” the speaker said. “We know with the weather that when there is quiet, there frequently comes a storm.”
White-ball cricket has long been a stronghold for New Zealand, but they haven’t been able to convert that success into world championships, notably losing to Australia in the final in 2021.
