Pakistan had to be content with the runners-up position in the T20 World Cup 2022, losing the final against England by five wickets at Melbourne on Sunday. Batting first, Pakistan failed to pile a challenging total for the opposition and were restricted for 137/8 in 20 overs. In response, England did lose Alex Hales early, but a resilient knock by Ben Stokes, who scored an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls, helped them chase the target with six balls still remaining in the contest.
Matthew Hayden, Pakistan’s team mentor, was then seen lifting the boys in the dressing room, a video of which was shared on social media by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The former Australian opener delivered a lengthy pep talk, where he commended the team’s progress.
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He also spoke about Pakistan’s prospects in the ODI World Cup, which will take place in India next year.
“Take it back a month ago when you all shared a meal at my house, I said that I was confident that you are going to lift the World Cup. Now that has not changed, nothing’s changed, I am still confident that this group of young men can lift the World Cup.
“And I am confident that we also have some clarity on how to move forward from this tournament. How to celebrate some great performances and how to acknowledge some of the weaknesses that we have had in the last month.
“Come the World Cup in India, again we will be celebrating getting somewhere near the World Cup. It is amazing how far we have come in the tournament,” said Hayden.
This was Hayden’s second stint as mentor with Pakistan. In his previous stint, the Men In Green had reached the final four of the T20 World Cup last year in UAE. This time around they made it to the final two, after securing a handsome seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the semifinal.
