T20 World Cup 2021: “Different cup of tea” – Pakistan coach Matthew Hayden on Indian batters facing Shaheen Afridi; later clarifies

T20 World Cup 2021: “Different cup of tea” – Pakistan coach Matthew Hayden on Indian batters facing Shaheen Afridi; later clarifies

Matthew Hayden leapt massive praises for Shaheen Afridi

Former Australia opener and current Pakistan cricket team batting coach Matthew Hayden has stated that the Indian batters underwent difficulty while facing Shaheen Afridi during the IND-PAK match at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.

He reckoned that the ‘Men in Blue’ were used to facing 130km/h deliveries in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. On the other hand, the southpaw said that it’s a “different cup of tea” when you are facing someone running and bowling at Shaheen Shah’s pace. 

Notably, the youngster claimed the all-important wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli during the high-voltage match between the arch-rivals. 

“They (the Indian batters) had been facing 130 km/h deliveries for the last month during the IPL. It’s a different cup of tea when you are facing someone running and bowling at Shaheen Shah Afridi’s pace. They were the best two balls that I’ve seen in five weeks. A fast in-swinging yorker and the courage that it takes to bowl that delivery against Rohit Sharma with the new ball is admirable,” Hayden told Fox Cricket.

“Most IPL teams do have genuine speeders” – Hayden

Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje consistently bowled at 145 km/h+ for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2021

Hayden received a massive backlash on social media owing to his controversial statement. However, he immediately replied saying that most of the franchises in the Indian T20 League including the likes of Avesh Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj, and Anrich Nortje, who bowls at a quick pace.

“Nortje, Ferguson, Siraj, Avesh. Most IPL teams do have genuine speeders. The pace is one weapon for sure, the other is swing and Afridi has both. It’s exciting to watch this type of bowling and sadly you don’t see it too often in the modern game,” Hayden wrote.

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