 "Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah")
Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden advised Indian batters to exercise caution against the Pakistan pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah during the high-octane clash between the arch-rivals in Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday, September 02.
Calling it one of the spiciest competitions on the planet, Hayden said that all three pacers in the Pakistan trio are unique and require a unique counter plan to tackle them.
How should India tackle Haris Rauf?
Talking about the plan to counter Rauf, Hayden, who worked as a coach with the Pakistani side during the 2021 T20 World Cup, said, “Firstly, the conditions here in Kandy tend to have quite a lot of bounce, so you’ve got to watch that out, especially Haris Rauf. He’ll want to hustle in and hit the top of the off stump.”
Hayden's advice to India against Sheen Afridi and Naseem Shah
The Australian went on to give a flashback about how Shaheen got three quick wickets of India during the 2021 T20 World Cup. “Remember back to the World Cup more recently; Shaheen was able to take early wickets. We’ll never forget that ball that he bowled to Captain Rohit Sharma,” he said during a chat with Star Sports. The Australian further added that Shaheen required a lot of patience to deal with.
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“You’ve got to be conservative against Shaheen Afridi. A little bit of caution against him. If it's swinging, look to play out those first three overs.”
Talking about Pakistan’s third and youngest seam bowler Naseem, Hayden, said India must first attack him. “I think with Naseem, even though he will shape the ball, India could be aggressive against him. Put him under pressure, and feel like you are in front of the game,” he advised.
Australian predicts India's win over Pakistan
The 51-year-old, however, predicted that India would win the game courtesy of their high-calibre batting. “All in all, though, I think it’s going to be Team India that will win. I think they’ve got a deeper, classier batting lineup, and I think they’ve got form on the board as well,” Hayden predicted.
India will play their first match in the Asia Cup when they face the arch-rivals Pakistan at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka on September 02, 2023. Pakistan won their first match by a huge margin of 238 runs against Nepal.
