‘That calmness is such a unique element under pressure’ – Matthew Hayden lauds Jonny Bairstow’s composure against KKR

Bairstow ( Source : IPL )

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports Cricket Live, former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden spoke about the Punjab Kings run chase last night. “Yeah, it had to be the perfect run chase and it was. I mean inside that power play they were extraordinary. They absolutely roasted anyone that came across them apart from Narine. It was a beacon of hope for just cutting short this enormous run chase. But the reality is these batters are getting so good at hitting balls. It is a batting thon this IPL. And we are seeing some extraordinary scenes. Tonight who would have ever thought that we were going to witness something as grand as what we saw here? From Jonny Bairstow who hasn’t been at this tournament of any kind of note this IPL., and he has arrived with a terrific hundred.”

Varun Aaron spoke about Jonny Bairstow’s century. “To get a century after being left out for the last few games. After not being in form at all for a very long time. Not just at the IPL and international cricket. Jonny Bairstow has just broken his shackles today. And he’s come out flying, off the blocks. With great innings you know. But he has Prabhsimran Singh to thank as well. Because Prabhsimran Singh took the pressure off him. He didn’t have to really do anything out of the box to start with. And after Prabhsimran Singh left. He just took the mantle. And he’s gone on to score one of the most memorable centuries of the IPL.”

Matthew Hayden spoke about the importance of the start of the Punjab Kings innings. “Yeah, absolutely. One of the great things that Jonny Bairstow said there is that “it was an important way that we had to start.” I mean we were working out before that his first game in T20 cricket was back in 2010. He also mentioned as well that the calmness at the crease. To be calm when you know you’ve got to break a record. In the history of IPL cricket, to win and still have that presence. That pure instinct. Jonny said it himself when he was interviewed just then. What were you thinking?

“Ah, he was on all our soils. That’s what I was thinking. They’re almost like forces batters into an absolute no-loss situation. They just go out with clarity. With definition. And they just have to do it. That calmness is such a unique element under pressure. And we’ve seen that delivered a few times, haven’t we, this IPL. So we’re seeing something very special here. And we have all these great conversations in the green room here as we’re waiting. And our four bowlers, they’ve got the brunt of why it is under pressure they’re not executing this IPL like we’ve seen.”

Matthew Hayden spoke about the move to bring Shashank Singh up the order for PBKS. “You have to commend the balance as well because it was an inspired move to bring him up the order. Jitesh had not been a player that really has been striking this IPL, Ashutosh has been and Shashank has been. So it was an inspired move of coaching, to promote Shashank the way that they did was superb, but again it’s all down to the execution. You can promote, you can demote, you can change your side, but at the end of the day, when you got it all on the line, these are the moments that you will remember and we will be playing back for years to come because it just cannot get any better than this.”

Hayden spoke about Rajasthan Royals needing one more win to secure a playoff spot. “Yeah, it’s not trending though, is it? We are seeing teams at the bottom of the table beating the teams at the top of the table. This IPL is a game on for every game. We’ve got 28 games left for the regular season and it’s moving and shaping in no certain way because the mid-table after the match (KKR VS PBKS) has added a bit more juice into that big pot in the middle which is getting stirred around. Look, I think Rajasthan are the side to beat in this tournament.”