- Joined
- Aug 29, 2023
- Runs
- 34,927
Pakistan white-ball Head Coach, Mike Hesson, speaking during a Press Conference:
“From a T20 perspective, we’ve won six of the last nine games. We lost one on the last ball, one by a handful of runs, and one quite badly. So out of eight games, we were in a position to win all eight. From a T20 standpoint, this side is progressing quite nicely. ODI is a different question and will be addressed separately, but from a T20 perspective, this side has shown promise. Salman Mirza has been added in the squad based on his performance against Bangladesh.”
“Our T20 side is performing well, but we need to look at building depth in isolation. When we talk about this level, we have to develop depth and play smart.”
About Babar Azam’s form and his selection:
“It is very harsh to challenge a player’s form based on 3 games. Babar played nicely in the first ODI, but he missed out in the next to but we know how fine pa layer he is. There is no doubt that Babar has been asked to improve in some areas around like taking on spin and his strike rate. He is working very hard, but at the moment, the players we have are performing exceptionally well. For instance, Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three Man of the Match awards. This is what you want from players when they score runs and have a huge impact on the game in a positive way. Player like Babar has the opportunity to play in the BBL and show that he has improved in those areas in the T20 format. He is too good of a player for us not to consider”
About areas that need improvement in the team:
“We were challenged with three different types of pitches. In Lahore, the surface was flat and the batting excelled. Then we went to Bangladesh, which was tougher with low-scoring games. But the way we got ourselves out of trouble in couple of games despite early wickets shows that we have the death but our top order sets the game up, like in the third game and we need more of that but with a specific run rate that gets us well ahead in the game and that is certainly what happened in the that game. T20 is all about setting the game and from the batting point of you we have the lineup that can continue doing that.”
About the upcoming series and preparations:
“The fact is, we’re playing in Sharjah, which should be the most challenging conditions for facing spin. So, we’re aware of that. And that’s why the middle order is so critical—not only should they be able to rotate against spin, but also apply pressure. And it’s going to be a big challenge. Afghanistan was the semi-finalist of the last T20 World Cup and we are not taking it lightly and preparing for the Asia Cup.”
“From a T20 perspective, we’ve won six of the last nine games. We lost one on the last ball, one by a handful of runs, and one quite badly. So out of eight games, we were in a position to win all eight. From a T20 standpoint, this side is progressing quite nicely. ODI is a different question and will be addressed separately, but from a T20 perspective, this side has shown promise. Salman Mirza has been added in the squad based on his performance against Bangladesh.”
“Our T20 side is performing well, but we need to look at building depth in isolation. When we talk about this level, we have to develop depth and play smart.”
About Babar Azam’s form and his selection:
“It is very harsh to challenge a player’s form based on 3 games. Babar played nicely in the first ODI, but he missed out in the next to but we know how fine pa layer he is. There is no doubt that Babar has been asked to improve in some areas around like taking on spin and his strike rate. He is working very hard, but at the moment, the players we have are performing exceptionally well. For instance, Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three Man of the Match awards. This is what you want from players when they score runs and have a huge impact on the game in a positive way. Player like Babar has the opportunity to play in the BBL and show that he has improved in those areas in the T20 format. He is too good of a player for us not to consider”
About areas that need improvement in the team:
“We were challenged with three different types of pitches. In Lahore, the surface was flat and the batting excelled. Then we went to Bangladesh, which was tougher with low-scoring games. But the way we got ourselves out of trouble in couple of games despite early wickets shows that we have the death but our top order sets the game up, like in the third game and we need more of that but with a specific run rate that gets us well ahead in the game and that is certainly what happened in the that game. T20 is all about setting the game and from the batting point of you we have the lineup that can continue doing that.”
About the upcoming series and preparations:
“The fact is, we’re playing in Sharjah, which should be the most challenging conditions for facing spin. So, we’re aware of that. And that’s why the middle order is so critical—not only should they be able to rotate against spin, but also apply pressure. And it’s going to be a big challenge. Afghanistan was the semi-finalist of the last T20 World Cup and we are not taking it lightly and preparing for the Asia Cup.”
