Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has offered his views on the Asia Cup showdown between India and Pakistan. He underscored the formidable challenge posed by Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.
The former opener highlighted their distinct approaches tailored for India, particularly in the context of the conditions in Kandy, which often provide significant bounce. He noted that these conditions favour Rauf, who excels at targeting the top of off-stump.
“India is playing against Pakistan’s pace trio. I can tell you this is one of the spiciest competitions on the planet. We’ve got Afridi, Rauf, and Naseem. Three very different types of bowlers and unique bowlers, which require unique plans from Team India. Firstly, the conditions in Kandy tend to have quite a lot of bounce, so you’ve got to watch that out, especially Rauf. He’ll want to really hustle in and hit the top of off,” Hayden told Star Sports.
The much-awaited match between India and Pakistan is scheduled to be played on September 2 in Kandy.