Pakistan’s T20 coach showed his naturally brilliant coaching ability after reaching the semi-finals of the tournament as he delivered an all-time speech on his charges after the match.
Now, the 51-year-old is being surprised to show faith, patience and confidence to a superstar who struggled in the early stages of the T20 World Cup.
Ahead of Pakistan’s semi-final win over New Zealand at the SCG on Wednesday evening, Matthew Hayden was questioned about team captain and opener Babar Azam, who had endured extremely poor form in the early stages of the tournament.
Reminded of former teammate Adam Gilchrist and the ups and downs in his form with the bat, Hayden declared that the time to watch Azam’s fireworks was right for the world.
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“If I could take your mind to a different World Cup, the 2007 World Cup, and Adam Gilchrist had a very lean World Cup by his standards,” Matthew Hayden said on Tuesday. “If you remember the last game against Sri Lanka, he scored a great hundred, if you see some fireworks (from Babar), don’t be surprised because very special players don’t stay for long.
Look at the rest of the world because I think you are going to see something special from Babar. Hayden also revealed that his coaching mindset was to stick with players going through poor form as they would always improve as a result.
“There is no doubt that Babar is in any adverse situation. “That will make him an even bigger player,” Hayden said. As we all know about the weather, once there is a pause, there is often a storm that occurs later. So look, the rest of the world, because I think you’re going to see something very special from Babar.
Just a day later, Hayden’s unwavering faith in Azam bore fruit when the opener smashed a 42-ball 53 against New Zealand to take Pakistan into the World Cup final in a chase.Hayden’s coaching masterclass for Pakistani fans was once again one of the highlights of the match, with many praising the Australian great for his leadership and class on social media.