Pakistan drawing inspiration from 1992 World Cup win over England: Matthew Hayden

Pakistan men’s cricket team have soaked up stories from the landmark 1992 Cricket World Cup final win over England in the lead-up to the final, team mentor Matthew Hayden said on Friday.

Matthew Hayden says Pakistan draw inspiration from 1992 win against England (AP Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan mentor Matthew Hayden reckons that the Babar Azam-led side is drawing inspiration from their landmark 1992 Cricket World Cup final win over England ahead of the T20 World Cup final.

Notably, Imran Khan-led Pakistan defeated England by 22 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the 1992 50-over World Cup final to claim their first World Cup trophy.

Hayden said Pakistan board chief Ramiz Raja, who opened the batting and took the final catch that sealed victory in the 1992 final, had addressed Babar Azam’s team on Friday morning.

“He was reliving some of those stories around the ’92 World Cup,” former Australia opener Hayden told reporters at the MCG.

“And I think that’s great because that’s why you play the game. These boys …. their careers will be but a blink and they’ll be looking back on this tournament.

“And they’ll tell these stories around campfires in their villages, in media conferences like the one we are here and it will be an important chapter of Pakistan cricket – as the ’92 campaign was.”

Hayden, however, felt Pakistan’s attack would be a good match for the English and particularly their captain Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, who chased down 169 for victory in an unbroken partnership to embarrass India’s bowlers.

“I think the bases are covered,” said Hayden.

“I think both sides actually have got very equal set-ups.

“It’s just ‘even-stevens’. At the start of this tournament, I always thought that England was going to be a huge threat.

“And here we are on the edge of a final.”