T20 World Cup: Hayden expects something special from Fakhar Zaman in semis

Dubai, Nov 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Pakistan team's batting consultant Matthew Hayden expects Fakhar Zaman to be the next big batting star in world cricket. Zaman is likely to have an added responsibility in the Pakistan batting lineup in case of opener Mohammad Rizwan and former skipper Shoaib Malik failing to recover from flu in time for the semifinal clash with Australia on Thursday.

"We have some incredible young players, a mix of wonderful, experienced players in our lineup, and they and the team are performing admirably," Hayden told the ICC ahead of Thursday's semifinal clash between Pakistan and Australia.

Hayden expects a lot from Fakhar Zaman in the semifinal against Australia.

"Don't be surprised if you see something incredibly special from him tomorrow (Thursday), as well, because he is smashing the ball in the nets.

"In particular, if you look at a potential matchup against Adam Zampa, who's been the leading wicket-taker in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, I think that is a fantastic target, an opportunity for Fakhar to really dominate and position Pakistan in a strong competitive state."

Hayden said that apart from being a good batsman Fakhar Zaman is a great outfield fielder too and saves many runs.

"Fakhar has I think been the standout outfielder for our team, as well. He saves literally five to 10 runs every game, and five to 10 runs within a T20 concept and batting lineup, including your own runs maybe 20s and 30s here and there, means that overall he's just been such an important part of the side," he said.

Source: IANS