Hayden, Philander named as Pakistan’s coaches for T20 World Cup

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new chairman Ramiz Raja named Australia’s batting great Matthew Hayden and South Africa’s Vernon Philander as the batting coach and bowling coach, respectively, for the ICC T20 World Cup campaign.

Raja held his first press conference as the PCB boss on Monday at the National High-Performance Centre, Lahore, where he maintained that Hayden had shared the dressing room with some of the best Australian players during his playing days.

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According to him, that experience will come in handy for lifting the morale of the national side during the global T20I tournament.

“I know Vernon, and he has some phenomenal performances against leading teams, including Australia. I hope the two will help Pakistan cricket in performing at their best during the T20 World Cup,” he stated.

The 59-year-old vowed that he will look to revamp the coaching set-up of the national team during his tenure, adding that aimless coaches have been a reason why Pakistan do not have ‘polished products’.

“Pakistan’s coaching setup needs to be overhauled. Coaches need to instil the fearless approach within the players without compromising on their technique,” he said.

Earlier on the day, the cricketer-turned-commentator was elected as the new PCB chairman unopposed during a Board of Governors’ meeting.