Is Mike Hesson suited for Pakistan's limited overs coaching?

[Savak]

How many coaches have been chopped/changed in the past 10 years? I have lost count.

Problem is not the coach it is the base - there’s zero foundation at the club/school/domestic level. No facilities, no infrastructure for the kids. If you don’t have the foundation, its impossible to build. The PCB is the face of overall picture of what’s going on in the country. The country has been destroyed and the kids/young people have no hope. The country itself is a disaster. Chopping the coach is not the solution.

To be honest the foreign coaches need to be hired at the domestic level, U19 teams, A team, Academies because this is where the rot is stemming from. I know its easier said than done and requires a big financial investment but our domestic and academies coaching staff have not produced any world class cricketer for a long time, this is where the problem lies.

In India you see the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and co spending time coaching at the academies, U19, A teams and not to mention the foreign coaches at the IPL, some big time legends from Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and co and you can see the return on investment in Indian Cricket with quality cricketers coming through the pipeline.

 

[mrtaim3]

Why can’t legends produce one solid cricketer? Who is stopping them ? Why all are sitting in tv?

Unfortunately due to India’s ban on Pakistan, our former players get very few opportunities to earn money post retirement. A huge contrast to Indian former players, who can make enough in just one IPL season to not spend anytime on these 3rd class tv programs. They have the capacity to spend time with youngsters for free.

Best thing our former players can do is to open cricket academies across Pakistan. Run scholarship programs, find local sponsors but also charge fee from youngsters who can afford to pay. Hire coaches. Also give their time to these academies. Only way i see them finding a talent.

 

[BlackstoneRock]

Unfortunately due to India’s ban on Pakistan, our former players get very few opportunities to earn money post retirement. A huge contrast to Indian former players, who can make enough in just one IPL season to not spend anytime on these 3rd class tv programs. They have the capacity to spend time with youngsters for free.

Best thing our former players can do is to open cricket academies across Pakistan. Run scholarship programs, find local sponsors but also charge fee from youngsters who can afford to pay. Hire coaches. Also give their time to these academies. Only way i see them finding a talent.

You are thinking too big … forget all that at grass root level just look at u19 or someone who has good potential it can be spotted easily and just mentor them and guide them and help them out … why do you need a post? Do your other monetary things but keep a watch on their development and have a conversation regularly … to me it’s something whether you want to do it or not and mostly the answer is they don’t want to …

 

[UP]

To be honest the foreign coaches need to be hired at the domestic level, U19 teams, A team, Academies because this is where the rot is stemming from. I know its easier said than done and requires a big financial investment but our domestic and academies coaching staff have not produced any world class cricketer for a long time, this is where the problem lies.

In India you see the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and co spending time coaching at the academies, U19, A teams and not to mention the foreign coaches at the IPL, some big time legends from Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and co and you can see the return on investment in Indian Cricket with quality cricketers coming through the pipeline.

For this to happen you need stability, peace, political stability, a proper long term vision, a competent administration and a whole lot other hundreds of things to get it going.

Stealing of elections is the first thing that needs to go and the rest can follow.

 

[Savak]

For this to happen you need stability, peace, political stability, a proper long term vision, a competent administration and a whole lot other hundreds of things to get it going.

Stealing of elections is the first thing that needs to go and the rest can follow.

I am sure there are plenty of good foreign coaches who will happily come to Pakistan to good a domestic team, Pakistan's U19 team, A team or the Academies if you give them a good price. As it is, you find them coming to the PSL for short-term stints.

 

[UP]

I am sure there are plenty of good foreign coaches who will happily come to Pakistan to good a domestic team, Pakistan's U19 team, A team or the Academies if you give them a good price. As it is, you find them coming to the PSL for short-term stints.

You will find many, many coaches willing to come but the PCB and the overall country needs proper stability to make it work.

Plus - the important point that a lot of people seem to miss is the team has no superstar or a match winner that kids can look up to. In the past, we had legends and that motivated kids to bowl fast or become the next Inzi/Imran Khan.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Even though the main problem is the lack of skilled players and low talent levels but the Hesson guy has no clue which players to select for our T20 team.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Don't really know what's the job description of a coach these days & how much input he has when the team is being selected. It's clear to me on the skill front that Pak players are just not up to the mark of international cricket. No one sweeps, no one reverse sweeps, scoops, paddles, & 360 play is just not something that they have an idea about. What can a coach do with this?

The question must be asked what the age group cricket coaches are doing. I sometimes get clips from the academies and it looks like in 20 years nothing has changed. The same set of practice drills, the same "jazba, daleri, jigra" talk, & even the pitches & grounds are worse than before. We still have that quarter cement pitch on one end where batters bat.

Do we have a couple of players who can take us forward? Yes.
Are we utilizing them properly? No
Is the coach doing a good job? Can't say anything.

 

[khyberlion]

I definitely not liking the players Hesson wants in the playing XI and it seems he has no idea of any domestic players if he went with Fahim , Nawaz and Talat.

So who are the replacements?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

So who are the replacements?

Talat should be replaced with a batsman. Hassan Nawaz or Irfan Niazi.

Nawaz is just lol, the guy flops in every big game and bowls 1 over every three matches. Surely they can replace him with ANYONE else.

Fahim done well tbh. Keep him in.

 

[khyberlion]

Talat should be replaced with a batsman. Hassan Nawaz or Irfan Niazi.

Nawaz is just lol, the guy flops in every big game and bowls 1 over every three matches. Surely they can replace him with ANYONE else.

Fahim done well tbh. Keep him in.

Talat, Salman need to go at least. I don't mind Irfan tbh, but I will keep nawaz, he hits the ball cleanly but is a mental midget. Unfortunately we don't have many options in domestics. I had high hopes from Arafat minhas but he's been a let down so far.

Pakistan atm has too many bowling options. Need to get specialists in.

 

[Chikkeh]

Hesson was brilliant with his in game tweaks, we will become a force to be reckoned with if he's given the full backing for a number of upcoming series.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

@Rajdeep your 13th player bcz 12th were umpires....

Mike Hesson told him to bowl an off-side Yorker, yet he bowled on the leg side in the 15th over and conceded a six, repeated the same in the 18th over, and then again in the final over.

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View attachment ssstwitter.com_1759161261852.mp4

 

[Savak]

Don't really know what's the job description of a coach these days & how much input he has when the team is being selected. It's clear to me on the skill front that Pak players are just not up to the mark of international cricket. No one sweeps, no one reverse sweeps, scoops, paddles, & 360 play is just not something that they have an idea about. What can a coach do with this?

The question must be asked what the age group cricket coaches are doing. I sometimes get clips from the academies and it looks like in 20 years nothing has changed. The same set of practice drills, the same "jazba, daleri, jigra" talk, & even the pitches & grounds are worse than before. We still have that quarter cement pitch on one end where batters bat.

Do we have a couple of players who can take us forward? Yes.
Are we utilizing them properly? No
Is the coach doing a good job? Can't say anything.

Well said, this is where the problem stems from. This is where the PCB needs to appoint the best foreign coaches i.e. at the domestic teams, U19, A teams, Academies all over Pakistan. Appoint them for 5-10 years and task them with preparing the next generation of players 500-600 players.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

We are 5 years away from any form of a meangingful comeback. There will be many downs, more than ups so get comfortable.

If there is a coach who is willing to stick it out then we must back him. If Mike remains committed then he should get full backing.

We need to stop this merry go round of coaches. The ex players are always smelling blood and an opportunity for a paycheck. They need to be ignored.

 

[shamaan]

7/10
Big error in playing hussain talat.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

@Rajdeep your 13th player bcz 12th were umpires....

Mike Hesson told him to bowl an off-side Yorker, yet he bowled on the leg side in the 15th over and conceded a six, repeated the same in the 18th over, and then again in the final over.

View attachment 158370

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View attachment 158371

Yes, I saw this live, Hesson was giving instructions and sending messages to bowlers to take the pace off and bowl outside off stump. He was very good and proactive during the matches. Faheem actually followed his instructions, but Rauf was brainless, kept serving loose balls.

 

[Ball Blazer]

I do not think Hesson is a bad coach. He is trying his best, even with the worst players.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Hesson heavily use data to control things. I think wrt pakistan it has to be a bit of data bit of gut feeling. MSD's decisions were based logic driven instinct. He reads the game and makes the call. I am not sure Agha has proved any of it. At this point Pakistan's on field decisions appear to be data driven. Heavily influenced by Hesson. Agha has not proved to be street smart.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

What kind of data says that Nawaz , Fahim , Talat , Khushdil, Agha will be better for Pak t20 team?

 

[jnaveen1980]

What kind of data says that Nawaz , Fahim , Talat , Khushdil, Agha will be better for Pak t20 team?

I believe team selection is based on successful T20 franchisees around the world. India won with batting depth 8 batsmen in 2024 unit. In the IPL deep line up like CSK, KKR won quiet a few titles. Team make up is done based on that. Idea is perfect. But Pakistan lacks personnel to follow that strategy. So they have randomly assembled a few mediocre all rounders.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

I believe team selection is based on successful T20 franchisees around the world. India won with batting depth 8 batsmen in 2024 unit. In the IPL deep line up like CSK, KKR won quiet a few titles. Team make up is done based on that. Idea is perfect. But Pakistan lacks personnel to follow that strategy. So they have randomly assembled a few mediocre all rounders.

All these players have zilch performance in PSL then how on earth they can perform at International stage? Really have no idea what was Hesson thinking , it's like half of the playing XI hasn't even performed in domestic games.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Add Saim and M.Haris to the list as well as they haven't performed in PSL either , so you are playing the Asia cup with 7 out of 11 players who haven't performed even in domestic cricket, it looks like Hesson didn't bother to look at PSL 2025 stats at all.

 

[jnaveen1980]

All these players have zilch performance in PSL then how on earth they can perform at International stage? Really have no idea what was Hesson thinking , it's like half of the playing XI hasn't even performed in domestic games.

Team like Pakistan cannot handle such strategies. When you have 7 or 8 bowling options you are clueless about which bowler to bowl when. It is better you go with 6 options and use them rightly. Too many options can often create more chaos . Especially mediocre ones.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Team like Pakistan cannot handle such strategies. When you have 7 or 8 bowling options you are clueless about which bowler to bowl when. It is better you go with 6 options and use them rightly. Too many options can often create more chaos . Especially mediocre ones.

Fair enough but then at least pickup the players who belongs to T20 cricket as a minimum?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Fair enough but then at least pickup the players who belongs to T20 cricket as a minimum?

The way i see it they want to stack up a unit where you have a left arm spinner, leg spinner/mystery spinner, off spinner to deal with different match ups. That explains why the supposedly world's best spinner got underbowled. You have a left arm seamer, genuine right arm seamer who controls middle over and seaming all rounder in these conditions. On paper this probably might look good

Let us compare with Australia who has won 7 out of 8 matches in 2025.

Saim - Maxwell off spinner/batsman
Faheem - Mitch Marsh - medium pacer/batsman
Abrar - Zampa
Md Haris - Alex Carey
Farhan - Travis head
Agha - Green
Talat - Dwarshuis
Faheem - Sean Abbott
Shaheen - Haazlewood
Fakhar - Mitch owen.
Rauf - Tim David

Look at the difference in make up and the quality of the Australia. It is not even on the same planet.

 

[shamaan]

I would keep Henson as the coach.