Tag: Matthew Hayden

  • Matthew Hayden, Paul Collingwood have picked their probable World Cup semi-finalists

    Former Australian cricketer and former Pakistan cricket team batting coach Matthew Hayden has named his possible semi-finalists for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

    While talking to foreign media, Matthew revealed the names of his hot favorite teams to reach the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup, picking Australia, India, England and South Africa as probables to reach the semi-finals of the mega event.

    However, he said, “The Pakistani team is a dark horse , nothing can be said about the Pakistani team, because their bowling line is impressive and the batting line with Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman is also good. But the Pakistani team’s fielding is weak.”

    He has expressed hope and said, “This time the performance of the Pakistani team will be good. Pakistan team is dangerous and one of the best teams of this World Cup.”

    Paul Collingwood, however, has kept Pakistan out of his semi-finalists and predicted that Australia, India, England and South Africa will be the top four teams.

    The T20 World Cup is ongoing in USA and West Indies and the final of this mega event will be played on June 29.

  • Australia’s Steve Smith becomes fastest cricketer to score 8,000 Test runs

    Australia’s Steve Smith becomes fastest cricketer to score 8,000 Test runs

    Australian batter Steve Smith has become the fastest cricketer to reach 8,000 runs in Test cricket. Smith made the record in 151 innings. He made the record in the ongoing third Test between Pakistan and Australia

    Smith eclipsed Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, who reached the mark in his 152nd innings.

    Among other Australians to pass 8,000 Test runs, Smith soared past Matthew Hayden (164 innings), Ricky Ponting (165), Michael Clarke (172), Allan Border (184) and Steve Waugh (194).

    Smith is the 33rd batsman in the world and seventh from Australia to score 8,000-plus runs.

    Smith made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lords in 2010.

  • Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan played a sensational innings of 67 runs in a high-pressure semi-final against Australia in Dubai on Thursday.

    Ahead of the semi-final, Rizwan’s availability for the big game against Australia was in doubt due to illness.

    Thankfully for Pakistan, he was declared fit and made a massive impact after being put in to bat first by the opponents.

    After the innings, Matthew Hayden revealed just how special a performance it was from Rizwan.

    “Rizwan, you probably didn’t know was actually in hospital just a night ago suffering with some sort of lung condition. This is a warrior,” Hayden said.

    “He has been brilliant through it (the campaign) and he’s got great courage, as has Babar. Fantastic tonight from him.”

    Rizwan struggled initially to find his touch, but Babar Azam at the other end kept the scoreboard ticking. Soon, Rizwan got going after smacking Josh Hazlewood for a six in the fourth over.

    Once Babar was dismissed, he ensured that he batted as deep into the innings as possible, keeping one end tight till the 18th over. Thanks to some fiery shots by Fakhar Zaman in the end, Pakistan set a target of 177 for Australia to chase down.

    Playing in the first ICC semi-final of his career, Rizwan made his night even more memorable. En route his 67, he also became the first player in the history of the game to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.

    He also broke the record England’s Jos Buttler had just set for the most runs by a keeper in a Men’s T20 World Cup. Buttler, who broke Craig Kieswetter’s record from 2010 in this year’s edition, had scored 269 runs to his name before England crashed out last night in the semi-final.

    Rizwan now has 281 and is only behind his fellow opener Babar Azam for most runs in this year’s T20 World Cup.

    Fellow cricketers and people from the cricket fraternity took to their social media to praise the 29-year-old cricketer.

    Meanwhile, Matthew Wade commended his batting partner Marcus Stoinis for the way he took on Haris Rauf in the 17th over and said that was indeed the turning point of the match. The slog overs also saw Hassan Ali dropping Wade off Shaheen Afridi in the 19th over, with the keeper-batter cracking the next three balls for sixes to seal their spot in the final.

  • Mohammad Rizwan gifts Matthew Hayden a translation of the Quran

    Mohammad Rizwan gifts Matthew Hayden a translation of the Quran

    Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has gifted an English translation of the Holy Quran to consultant coach Matthew Hayden.

    Hayden has revealed in his latest interview that he was curious about Islam and Rizwan gifted him the Holy Quran with English translation.

    “It was Rizzy (Mohammad Rizwan) and I have to say it was a beautiful moment I will never forget. I am curious about Islam even though I am a Christian. One follows Christ and the other Muhammad and in a sense never shall meet but he presented me with an English version of the Quran. We sat on the floor for half an hour and talked through it. I am reading a bit of it each day. Rizzy is one of my favourite individuals, a champion human being,” Hayden said.

    As per reports, Matthew Hayden has been impressed by the humbleness of the Pakistan cricket team, saying that they connect to a higher level.

    “I was taken aback by how neutral and humble these guys are. How everything is just meant to be. It has been great fun. They are really coachable athletes as well. It stems from a deep sense of spirituality. As a westerner, you don’t realise the implications of having that commitment and faith. Even their salat – their five different prayer sessions a day. You can be outside a lift or even in a lift and if it is time for salat, that is what happens. These guys connect at a higher level. It’s not like ‘how ya going, today mate?’” Hayden added.

    “Inside the changing room I’ve never seen a more disciplined and more humble approach to winning,” he added.

    The former Australian cricketer also lauded Babar and Rizwan in a previous interview, saying: ” Babar and Rizwan have created a unique opening for themselves.”

    In 2021, skipper Babar and Rizwan have amassed 826 runs in 14 Twenty20 international partnerships. They put on an unbroken 152-run stand, their third as an opening pair, as Pakistan trounced India in Dubai by 10 wickets. This is their first win over their arch-rivals in 13 World Cup matches.

    Now both Babar and Rizwan are the heart and soul of the Pakistan team as they target a second T20 World Cup title.

    The Green Shirts will be facing Australia in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. If they’ll win this match, they will be playing against New Zealand in the finals.

  • Matthew Hayden, Vernon Philander new Pakistan coaches for T20 World Cup

    Matthew Hayden, Vernon Philander new Pakistan coaches for T20 World Cup

    Pakistan’s cricket team will be coached by Australian Matthew Hayden and South African Vernon Philander during the T20 World Cup, the newly elected Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja said in a press conference on Monday.

    Hayden and Philander will be taking over from the pair of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis, who resigned from their posts one month ahead of the T20 World Cup.

    Speaking about Hayden, Raja said: “The Australian can bring some aggression into the team. He has experience of World Cups and was a world-class player himself. Having an Australian in the dressing room will be of great benefit for us.”

    On Philander he said: “I know him well, he understands the nuances of bowling and he has a great record in Australia.”

    The development of adding Hayden and Philander to the Pakistan side comes after the sudden resignations of Misbah and Waqar.

    According to ESPNcricinfo, “Hayden and Philander have exceptional credentials as cricketers, but neither has any substantive coaching experience. Philander only retired from international cricket in 2020, and was due to take part in the South African domestic season which begins on September 24 this year. Hayden retired in 2009, and has taken on occasional media work, but his assignment with Pakistan at the World Cup is his first major coaching assignment.”

    PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja also announced that 192 cricketers with domestic contracts will see an increase of PKR100,000 in monthly retainers across all rungs. This means that domestic men’s cricketers in the 2021-22 season, which begins with the Cricket Associations T20, the Second XI competition, from September 15 at Quetta’s Bugti Stadium, will now earn between PKR140,000 to PKR250,000 per month, which is an increase of 250 per cent for the players in the D category, which is the lowest category.

    Earlier, the PCB announced that Misbah and Waqar have resigned and that former Pakistan Test players, Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq would be interim coaches for the time being.

    Read More – Pakistan squad for New Zealand, England and ICC T20 World Cup announced

    The Pakistan team is in Rawalpindi and are practicing ahead of their One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand.

    Meanwhile, the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be the seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament, with matches taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from October 17 to November 14, 2021.