Latest news with #Hesson
Express Tribune
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Mike Hesson labels Mirpur pitch "unacceptable" after Pakistan's defeat
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has criticised the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, calling it "unacceptable" for international cricket after his side was bowled out for just 110 in the first T20I against Bangladesh. While Hesson admitted that Pakistan's batters had misread the conditions, he emphasised that the pitch did not meet the standards expected for international play. "It is not ideal for anybody," he said. "Teams are preparing for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, and this pitch is simply not acceptable," Hesson continued. Pakistan's collapse was swift, with the team slipping to 46 for 5 by the eighth over. Many of the batters fell while attempting high-risk shots, and Pakistan's cause was further hindered by three run-outs. Despite a bright start from Fakhar Zaman, who top-scored with 44 off 34 balls, Pakistan were eventually bowled out in 19.3 overs. Hesson reflected on the team's struggles: "Fakhar Zaman played a few good shots, which gave us a false impression of how the surface was playing. We didn't adjust well in the middle overs and made poor decisions. As the ball started to bounce and nip through, we didn't recognise the increased difficulty of playing high-risk shots. The run-outs didn't help either." However, Bangladesh's opener, Parvez Hossain Emon, disagreed with Hesson's assessment, pointing to his team's dominant seven-wicket victory. "We didn't feel it was a bad pitch, as we chased the target down in less than 16 overs," Emon said. "We could have scored 150-160 runs if we batted the full 20 overs. It may be that Pakistan couldn't adjust to the pitch as well as we did. We adapted quickly, which was part of our strategy." Hesson, though, felt such surfaces would not aid Bangladesh's preparations for tougher conditions abroad. "Good cricket wickets are needed to develop cricketers," he said. "While there were better wickets in the BPL, this pitch doesn't meet the standard required for international cricket. It's challenging to bat first when you're unsure of what score is good enough," he added. Despite the pitch's challenges, Hesson acknowledged that his team still needed to perform better, regardless of the surface. "We'll look at it as a team," he added.
NDTV
12 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
'Pitch Drama' Erupts As Bangladesh Crush Pakistan In 1st T20I
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson blamed his batters for misreading the pitch but also opined that the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium "is not ideal for anybody". His remarks came Pakistan faced a crushing seven-wicket defeat in the opening T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh on Sunday. After being asked to bat first, Pakistan were dismissed for 110 in the final over of their innings. Fakhar Zaman top-scored with a fluent 44, while Mohammad Abbas Afridi (22) and Khushdil Shah (17) were the only others to reach double figures. In response, Bangladesh chased down the modest target in 15.3 overs, finishing at 111/3. Opener Parvez Hossain Emon starred with an unbeaten 56, anchoring the innings with confidence and power. The reason for Hesson's assessment of the pitch for the first T20I is the fact that Pakistan were reduced to 46 for 5 by the eighth over, with most of their batters falling while going for big shots. They also did not help matters by getting involved in three run-outs and were eventually all out for 114. "I think (the pitch) is not ideal for anybody," Hesson said in the post-match press conference. "Teams are trying to prepare for the Asia Cup or the (T20) World Cup. It is not acceptable. It is still no excuse for some of the decisions we made with the bat. But this pitch is not up to international standards." "We got off to a little bit of a flyer. Fakhar Zaman played four or five shots. It gave us a false indication about how the surface was playing," the Pakistan head coach said. "We didn't help ourselves through the middle. We chose some poor options. When the ball started to nip through and bounce steeply, we probably didn't assess that it was a bit more challenging to play high-risk shots. A couple of run-outs also didn't help," Hesson added. Bangladesh captain Litton Das dismissed the complaints about the pitch and said they have played a lot of cricket on it and used the knowledge to their advantage. "We definitely know about the wicket because we played lots of cricket in Mirpur. It's not an easy wicket to bat on, but the way we batted, it looks good. In the second innings, the ball came nicely because of the dew, probably. We bowl really well. We take early wickets. And that's the key point," said Litton Das. Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon, who was adjudged Player of the Match, also did not agree that it was a poor pitch. "We didn't feel (it was a bad pitch) as we chased it down in less than 16 overs," he was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "We could have scored 150-160 runs if we batted the full 20 overs. It may be that they couldn't adjust to the pitch. We adjusted better than they did. The Dhaka pitch usually benefits the bowlers. We tried to assess the wicket quickly. It was our first plan." Emon also said: "Obviously happy because of our team's win. So that's why I'm happy. [Pressure to rebuild the innings] Not like that; we just stay in the positive and look for singles. When I hit sixes, I enjoyed it," he said. Bangladesh will be hoping to seal the three-match series when they meet Pakistan in the same venue on Tuesday (July 22).
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
PAK Coach Mike Hesson Fumes Over Mirpur Pitch: 'Not Of International Standard'
Pakistan's new coach Mike Hesson criticized the Mirpur pitch after a seven-wicket loss to Bangladesh, calling it below international standards. The slow and low track of Mirpur felt Pakistan's new white-ball coach Mike Hesson's fury on Sunday. The New Zealander said after his side's huge, seven-wicket defeat that the pitch wasn't of 'international standard' and that though it might help 'Bangladesh find success', it wasn't 'right' to present such wickets to visiting teams. Pakistan were bowled out for just 110, their lowest ever total in T20Is. Fakhar Zaman top-scored with 44, but no other visiting batter could even cross half of that as pacers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman ran riot with five wickets. In reply, Parvez Hossain Emo's half-century and Towhid Hridoy's patient 36 saw Bangladesh chase it in just 15.3 overs, one of their best wins statistically over the Asian rivals. 'This type of wicket is not of international standard," an angry Hesson said in the post-match press conference. Playing on such pitches won't help you improve. You have the Asia Cup ahead, and playing on surfaces like this won't help you succeed on the big stage. Bangladesh may find success on these kinds of pitches, but this is by no means an ideal wicket," he remarked. Hesson almost veered into explaining how 'such wickets' were not helpful for Bangladesh cricket's development either, before reeling himself back. 'In the BPL, good wickets are usually prepared here. But in international matches, Bangladesh keeps producing these slow and low surfaces to gain a home advantage. That's not right," he stated, before adding, 'I haven't come here to fix Bangladesh cricket—that's not my job. But when we talk about the global standard of the game, such wickets are not the way forward." It's not just the visiting teams, though. In 2021, after Bangladesh hosted New Zealand and Australia on such tracks and found success, some batters had complained about the pitch. Home skipper Litton Das had also brought up the subject on the eve of this T20I, saying: 'I also agree. (After playing the 2021 New Zealand-Australia series) the careers of many cricketers have gone down as batters. If I were a bowler, maybe my career would have been rich." Bangladesh now lead the series 1-0, with the second match on Tuesday, July 22, at the same venue. view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 23:05 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
11-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Babar Azam Told To Become Wicketkeeper To Regain T20I Spot? Coach Breaks Silence
Pakistan's white ball head coach Mike Hesson on Thursday denied the speculations that he had asked star batter Babar Azam to keep wickets in order to regain his spot in the national T20 International squad. Pakistan media had widely reported that Hesson made such a suggestion to Babar during a formal chat with senior players recently in Lahore where Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi were also present. 'No discussion took place with Babar where I suggested he also keep wickets,' Hesson told the media. He made it clear that if Babar regains his spot in the Pakistan T20 side it would be as an opener and he might open with either Saim Ayub or Fakhar Zaman. The seasoned Kiwi coach came under criticism from several former players such as Rashid Latif, Basit Ali, Mohsin Khan, Moin Khan, and Sikander Bakht when media reported said he had asked Babar to keep wickets in the shortest format. 'They are being very unfair with Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen but I can assure you these three will be back soon,' Basit said. Mohsin said it was unfortunate to even think that Babar would have to keep wickets to play in the format. 'He has never kept wickets in his entire career and you suggest he keeps wickets. This is not the way to treat a former captain and senior,' he said. The Pakistani players picked for the Bangladesh tour are attending a camp in Karachi. Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen, despite not being in the team, have been told to attend the camp. Meanwhile, Hesson also said he has not instructed the players to bat in such a way that the strike-rate always remains above 150. 'I have also not told the players that if they want to keep their places in the team they have to bat at strike rates of over 150,' Hesson clarified. He admitted that Pakistan's biggest problem in T20 cricket was batting and they need to meet the modern day requirements of the format. 'We are working on some things in this direction.' Hesson made it clear that he was presently working on a plan with the selectors to forge a young T20 side with a particular approach to the format. 'We are looking at players who are ready to float in the batting order and perform multiple roles but that does not mean there will be no spot for specialist players.' Hesson said he was very much part of the selection process and once the selectors gave the team management a list of 20 players it was up to them to decide on playing eleven or 15. Hesson also said he wanted to give some exposure to new players before next year's T20 World Cup but established players would be called upon when required. 'Hasan Ali will play in the West Indies while we are also keen to see Shaheen Shah Afridi return in a more effective role,' he added.
India Gazette
11-07-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
New Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson outlines steps to return path for Babar and Afridi in T20
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): New Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson has revealed the steps that experienced duo Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi must take to work their way back into the T20I side, according to the ICC website. Babar and Shaheen played a major role in helping Pakistan to consecutive appearances in the knockout stages of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2022, but have recently fallen out of favour in the shortest format and were notable absentees in Hesson's first squad that swept Bangladesh 3-0 on home soil at the start of last month. Hesson suggested Babar and Shaheen are both still heavily involved in his long-term plans for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, and the pair are currently in Karachi taking part in a training camp alongside their teammates who will travel to Bangladesh later this month for a three-match T20I series in Mirpur. Hesson clarified that Babar's way back into the team was not by taking the gloves and becoming Pakistan's first-choice keeper, but that the former skipper was in a battle with fellow top-order batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub for one of two spots as opener. 'Firstly, Babar Azam is not seen as a wicket-keeping option. Not sure where that came from, but I have heard that speculation. Babar is competing for one of the opening positions at the moment. But obviously we have Fakhar and Saim in those two roles at the moment, so he's competing for that,' Mike Hesson said. Babar's strike-rate of 129.81 in T20I cricket is inferior to Fakhar's (133.49) and Ayub's (138.48), and Hesson admitted the right-hander needs to boost his scoring clip to stay relevant in the shortest format. 'No doubt strike rate is important in T20 cricket, but you have to combine it with a volume of runs,' Hesson said. 'There's a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough. We certainly made some shifts in that last series to play a more expansive game of cricket and probably catch up with the rest of the world, as that is the way the modern game is.' 'Babar is one of many who have the ability to make those improvements. And I'm here to work with them and help them. In the last month or so, he's made some really good changes. It's not just a matter of going from 125 to 150, it's a matter of increasing what you can offer because we're no doubt often 30-40 runs short with the bat. So, we need to find a way of getting that,' he added. Hesson didn't reveal the exact areas that he wanted Afridi to improve in, but did suggest the left-armer needed to perform better with the white-ball. 'Shaheen Shah Afridi is a world-class player. There's no doubt that we've identified some areas that Shaheen needs to work on, as does every player at this camp,' Hesson noted. 'But there's a good reason that he, and everybody else, is at this camp. They're in the wider frame for Pakistan in white-ball cricket, and that includes T20 cricket.' 'Players go through good periods and periods where they're a little bit down in their game. And it's up to us as coaching staff to try and get our best players on the park and make them better, so when they play for Pakistan, they perform better,' he added. (ANI)
