Matthew Hayden: “So to have a young, fresh face with nothing to lose, nothing really to gain, but just play with great freedom has been a wonderful expression for him personally but also for team Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Australia great Matthew Hayden has encouraged Pakistan batsman Mohammad Haris to play with complete freedom as he has nothing to lose.
Haris put on a show during the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he took the attack to the opposition bowlers.
The 21-year-old hammered 28 runs off 11 deliveries against South Africa, 31 runs off 18 balls against Bangladesh, and 30 runs off 26 deliveries in the semi-final against New Zealand. He also scored eight runs in the final against England.
Having showcased his huge arsenal of attacking shots, Hayden urged the youngster to keep playing his natural game.
“So to have a young, fresh face with nothing to lose, nothing really to gain, but just play with great freedom has been a wonderful expression for him personally but also for team Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Haris is now playing for the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he has made 68 runs in three matches at an average of 22.66 and a strike-rate of 183.78.
The team’s next fixture will see them face Islamabad United on Thursday.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 8: Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseebullah, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell), Peter Hatzoglou (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman), Shakib Al Hasan (available for playoffs), Azmatullah Omarzai
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