“Don’t be surprised if you see something incredibly special from Fakhar”: Matthew Hayden backs Fakhar Zaman to come good in Pakistan vs Australia T20 World Cup semi-final

Matthew Hayden has backed Pakistan’s out-of-form batter, Fakhar Zaman, to play well against Australia in the T20 WC Semi-Final.

Pakistan will take on Australia in the 2nd semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup. The winner of this game will play New Zealand in the Final on 14 November 2021.

Pakistan have been unbeaten in the tournament so far, and they are looking in brilliant form. The openers have been excellent, whereas the bowlers have also done their job in the tournament. Babar Azam has already scored four half-centuries, whereas Malik & Asif Ali have also played some important knocks.

However, the form of Fakhar Zaman has been a thing of concern for the side. He has scored 54 runs in the tournament so far at 13.50. Fakhar is considered a big game player, and his knock against India in the 2017 CT Final cannot be forgotten.

Matthew Hayden backs Fakhar Zaman to come good against Australia

Former Aussie batter and Pakistan’s batting consultant, Matthew Hayden has backed Fakhar to do well. He has also insisted that Fakhar has contributed to the team with his fielding.

“Don’t be surprised if you see something incredibly special from him [Fakhar] tomorrow, as well, because he is smashing the ball in the nets,” Hayden said.

“In particular I guess if you look at a potential matchup against Adam Zampa … I think that is a fantastic target, an opportunity for Fakhar to really dominate and position Pakistan in a strong competitive state.”

“T20 cricket is just about impact. Making impact is significant, and Fakhar is certainly one of those that can do that tomorrow.”

Fakhar Zaman’s stats so far at the T20 World Cup are far from impressive:

Innings 4
Runs 54
Balls faced 60
Average 13.50
Strike-rate 90.00#T20WorldCup

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) November 7, 2021

Matthew Hayden also praised Babar Azam who has scored 264 runs at 66.00 in the tournament so far. In five games, Babar has four half-centuries under his belt.

“He’s [Babar] very consistent. He’s very stable. He’s not overly flamboyant,” Hayden said.

“He picks up the line and the length of the ball quicker than the average cricketer that’s going around, and that’s the mark of someone that’s a very fine player.”

In World Cups, Australia has been Pakistan’s biggest nemesis, and this game can be a brilliant one to watch out for.