T20 World Cup 2021: The Scenes Were Phenomenal, India-Pakistan Is The Holy Grail Of Sporting Calendar - Matthew Hayden

Pakistan’s batting consultant Matthew Hayden referred to the India-Pakistan matches as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the sporting calendar. He also described the atmosphere in the dressing room as euphoric.

Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets to record their first-ever World Cup win over the Men in Blue. It was a dominating performance right from ball one as Pakistan never took the pedal off the gas. In a conversation with Fox Cricket, Matthew Hayden described his first experience of being part of the biggest rivalry in cricket.

“India-Pakistan is the holy grail of the sporting calendar. Sitting inside that changing room in Dubai last night, I have seen nothing like I saw last night. The scenes were phenomenal. There is a lot of euphoria but inside the change room, I have never seen a more disciplined and humble approach to winning. There was such great humility,” Hayden said.

“It’s a phenomenal cultural experience” – Matthew Hayden

The former Australian batsman further talked about Babar Azam’s captaincy and how he deals with situations as tough as yesterday’s. Babar combined with Mohammad Rizwan to knock off the 152-run target without losing a single wicket. Hayden also spoke about Shaheen Afridi’s magnificent performance on the night.

“Babar Azam is a really solid leader. He is no fuss, he is not anxious about things, he goes into his performance as he requires humility. The whole culture is underpinned by a sense of spirituality and spirit. It’s a phenomenal cultural experience.“

“It’s a different cup of tea when you are running at Shaheen’s pace. To deliver those two balls, they are the best two balls I have seen in five weeks of cricket. Fast, inswinging yorker, the courage it takes to bowl that delivery and the pace and execution with the new ball is admirable,” Hayden added.

With the win, Pakistan will next be up against New Zealand and they will be high on confidence. A win against the Black Caps can cement their place at the top of Group 2.

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