• Nothing matches India-Pakistan rivalry – Hayden

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    Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden says the hostile cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan will test the teams when they play a high-voltage game in the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

    Hayden is serving a short stint as Pakistan’s batting consultant and transferring his vast experience on how to tackle pressure in as intense a rivalry as the Ashes between Australia and England.

    “For Australia, England is their old guard as they would say, as at various stages we have been ruled by the UK and cricket wouldn’t be on our shores if it hadn’t been the case,” Hayden told a virtual media conference.

    “But nothing that I have ever seen throughout various elements of the game that I have been part of, ever matches the rivalry between India and Pakistan.”

    The 49-year-old left-hander played 103 Tests for Australia, 20 of them in the Ashes, scoring 1,461 runs.

    Hayden accepts there is enormous pressure of an India-Pakistan match, often resulting in bitter public reaction for the losing side.

    “There is an obvious pressure of an Indo-Pak match, as there is obvious pressure if you play against England if you are an Australian, but the pressure is only what you allow it to be.

    “It’s a history-making opportunity. We can present all the stats, homework and research and nothing can replace what will be the state, what we dream about, write about and coach about, which will be the event itself.”

    After the eight-team qualifying rounds, the Super 12 stage starts on Saturday.

    Hayden, who joined the Pakistan team last week, said the players were in a good place.

    “The mood is high, the relationships within the team are very strong and the players seem very happy and relaxed in spite of the obvious pressure starting from our first match.”

    Hayden, part of the commentary team during the IPL which finished last week in the UAE, singled out KL Rahul and Rishab Pant as the men that Pakistan need to watch.

    “I sense that KL Rahul is a major threat to Pakistan. His dominance in the shorter format is good. Someone like Rishab Pant, with a cheeky smile and his brash nature and beautiful vision for the game, is a destroyer.”

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    Hayden believes Pakistan skipper Babar Azam will be under extra pressure.

    “Babar is our premier player and will be targeted and as [West Indies batter] Chris Gayle says, ‘Everyone wants to put him in his pocket’.

    “There is going to be additional pressure on Babar as captain and as a batsman.

    “It’s a real dog fight and the conditions and margin of error are very little and so good leadership is going to be the key and Babar commands that role and he needs to fulfill that role.”

    © Agence France-Presse

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    Simon Borchardt