Pakistan cricket team have appointed former Australian opener Matthew Hayden and South African seam bowler Vernon Philander as part of their coaching setup for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and UAE.
The duo will work as consultant coaches for the mega tournament with the team, newly appointed (Pakistan Cricket Board) PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said in an announcement on Monday.
"Matthew Hayden is Australian and has experience of winning World Cups and was a great player himself. It might be very beneficial to have an Australian occupying the dressing room. And Pakistan, of course, can win the World Cup, they just need to improve their performances an extra 10%. Vernon Philander I know very well, and he understands bowling, and has a great record against Australia,” Ramiz Raja said.
The news comes a week after former Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis resigned from their respective posts.
Pakistan are yet to appoint a new head coach with Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq acting as interim coaches for the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting from September 17. However, Raja did confirm that the new head coach is expected to be announced soon and will work alongside Hayden and Philander in the T20 World Cup.
Matthew Hayden has represented Australia in 103 Tests, 161 ODIs and nine T20Is. He has amassed more than 15,000 runs across formats. Meanwhile, Vernon Philander has over 200 wickets for South Africa from 64 Tests and has also played 30 ODIs and seven T20Is for the Proteas.
Both Hayden and Philander are new to coaching roles with no prior experience. Pakistan will play their first match of the T20 World Cup 2021 against arch-rivals India on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Featured photo: Alexander Joe / AFP
