"It's very focused around Islam" - Matthew Hayden praises Pakistan cricket, says Islam helps in discipline

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden praised Pakistan cricket. He discussed how following Islam helps the team with regards to discipline, commitment, and consistency in the game.

Matthew Hayden was a member of the Pakistan coaching staff for the T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022. He worked as a batting consultant for the team in 2021, while in 2022, Hayden received the role of a mentor.

During the 2023 World Cup warm-up match between Pakistan and Australia yesterday, Hayden joined Rameez Raja in the commentary box.

Raja was the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman during the 2021 T20 World Cup. He asked Hayden about his experience working with the Pakistan team.

"Well it's very focused around Islam, which is the central and core thing to this playing unit. And that principle and the way of life leads to great discipline, which I greatly admire. After all, cricket is very much a discipline as well. You have to be committed. You have to be invested, and you have to be consistent," Hayden replied.

An X user shared a clip from the match where Hayden spoke about Islam.

You can watch it here:

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Pakistan achieved enormous success under Matthew Hayden's success in T20 World Cup 2021 and 2022

Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals in the 2014 and 2016 editions of the T20 World Cup. However, the change in the coaching staff led to positive results in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the mega event.

The Men in Green won all of their group stage matches in 2021 before losing to eventual champions Australia in the semifinals.

In 2022, Pakistan started with defeats against India and Zimbabwe. However, they bounced back well and ended up as the runners-up of the tournament.

Matthew Hayden's guidance would have helped Pakistan a lot because he often performed well in big matches.