Batting great and current Pakistan mentor Matthew Hayden has admitted that his team’s semi-final qualification in the T20 World Cup was “a miracle”, but said the element of surprise will make them the side to beat in the last-four stage.
Pakistan were on the verge of elimination after their opening match defeat to arch-rivals India and the subsequent one-run shock loss to Zimbabwe.
But luck smiled on them when The Netherlands beat South Africa by 13 runs in one of the greatest upsets. Pakistan then beat Bangladesh by five wickets on Sunday to set up a semi-final clash with New Zealand at the SCG on Wednesday.
Also read: Shaheen Afridi shines as Pakistan end up qualifying!
“It’s just a miracle that we are seeing unfold here, but even before we got to this day, I sensed that we have this trust in the process…we have got the energy, we’ve got the commitment and belief to each other, then the magic just unfolds,” Hayden said in a dressing room speech after Sunday’s match.
“It hasn’t been smooth sailing. If it wasn’t for the Dutch, we are not here. But we are here and it is powerful because no one wants to see us and that’s the element of surprise we have got the advantage,” he said in a video footage uploaded by the ICC on its Twitter handle.
The former Australia opener was the batting coach for Pakistan in the last T20 World Cup in the UAE and was reappointed as mentor for this edition in Australia.
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