Mike Hesson: As Pakistan's white-ball Head Coach - Performance Watch

[mominsaigol]

Pakistan has had many coaches over the past decade, it's become a meme at this point.

Pakistan recycles coaches faster then Trump changes policies. After the removal of Kristen and Gillespie I was convinced that no foreign coach would ever take the responsibility of coaching Pakistan again, however I was wrong.

Despite the chaotic culture, Pakistan is still an international team and no foreign coach would just pass up the opportunity to work with an International Team.

In my opinion Hesson has already impressed me as a coach. For starters he is far more proactive with the team then Gillespie and Kristen ever were, and he's willing to take more risk in regards Mickey Arthur as well as undo the damage of Misbah as a whiteball coach.

However only time will tell if Bad news is lurking ahead or if Hesson can truly turn things around and re-establish Pakistan's status as a Mid card team or possibly an above average unit.

For a while, Pakistan had collapsed into the realm of a minnow. With the current team I'm confident that bashing the likes of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, UAE and possibly upsetting bigger teams on certain occasions like we could in 2017-2019 is a likely endeavour.

 

[Hectic]

Way out of his depth so far in both formats. What is his obsession with mediocre players? Faheem, M Nawaz, Talat. How are these nothing cricketers playing game after game?

Plays only hacks and hitters in T20Is. Thinks international cricket is like the tamasha leagues he's used to. Whenever the pitch isn't a complete road the entire lineup gets badly exposed.

Plays ODIs with 3 front line bowlers. "All rounders" have to bowl 40 % of the overs. Complete lack of respect for the format.

Cricket is quite simple. Play your 6 best batters. Play your 4 best bowlers. Play your best all-rounder. Meanwhile Mr. "Data Driven" here wants to build a team of 11 Faheems and Talats.

Forget the Asia Cup, even winning the tri-series against Afg and UAE will require a miracle under this clueless bloke. He talks a big game but is incapable of walking the walk.

 

[Obaidd]

I don’t know what’s his CV but I think mostly it’s just franchise t20 and that’s the level you get.

He’s probably willing to spend most of his time in Pak which is why the nod was given

 

[shah_1]

I don’t know what’s his CV but I think mostly it’s just franchise t20 and that’s the level you get.

He’s probably willing to spend most of his time in Pak which is why the nod was given

Stop blaming coaches

We are producing mediocre cricketers. He can't turn donkeys into horses.

Our system is doomed

 

[shah_1]

Thankfully I have lost my love for Pakistan cricket. It started during 2003 WC but not anymore. I do follow them but there is no passion anymore.

Really sad to see

 

[sweep_shot]

I don’t know what’s his CV but I think mostly it’s just franchise t20 and that’s the level you get.

He’s probably willing to spend most of his time in Pak which is why the nod was given

I noticed one thing. He seems to like using part-timers as 5th bowling option.

He likes Nathan McCullum-type players.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

The number of all rounders that we play does seem to be too much, but it's because he isn't confident on our batting depth or bowling depth so has to try and paper the cracks.

We can't really hold him to account on these performances so far, these players are products of the last 6-7 years. We haven't groomed replacements, these are the guys who dominate domestic cricket too amd others dont get a chance. He doesn't have a magic wand to fix this.

 

[shamaan]

I noticed one thing. He seems to like using part-timers as 5th bowling option.

He likes Nathan McCullum-type players.

They need to play 5 bowlers then that also gives his leeway off using Saim or Agha as the 6th bowling option.

 

[shamaan]

Rizwan has played 4 bowlers before Henson came however the t20 team now is also playing to many all rounders.

 

[Rana]

The whole 4th/5th bowler thing is an excuse

A rubbish one actually.

Rizwan did well to get the 10 overs from the 5th bowler done and dusted. He over did it when he continued with Saim even though Abrar had overs left….also bringing in Nawaz after 25 overs lol


Rizwan had the right resources. He just didn’t use them properly.

 

[Rana]

a lot of journalists and the usual people who want to defend Rizwan are crying about Hesson’s decision to employ the all rounders as the 4th/5th bowler option..

This is the team they wanted basically:

1. Saim
2. Shafique
3. Babar
4. Rizwan
5. Agha
6. Nawaz
7. Nawaz B5
8. Hassan B4
9. Shaheen/Naseem B3
10. Sufyan B2
11. Abrar B1


Well best of luck with this team. West Indies bowlers, especially their spinners are more than handy batsmen. They trumped Pakistan here and deserved to win. Pakistan fans are going to see soon how two liabilities in the field (Sufyan and Abrar) will cost them….also when some teams just throw caution to the wind and go after the two spinners.

 

[Rana]

5 wickets down you have M Nawaz. You never know if this guy is awake or asleep on his day.

6 wickets down you get Hassan Ali. He is nothing but a decent tailender.

You lose 5 wickets as Pakistan….you better hope you don’t lose the next 5 for 30 runs.

 

[mominsaigol]

5 wickets down you have M Nawaz. You never know if this guy is awake or asleep on his day.

6 wickets down you get Hassan Ali. He is nothing but a decent tailender.

You lose 5 wickets as Pakistan….you better hope you don’t lose the next 5 for 30 runs.

Rizwan leaving the ball must he criticised.

You are chasing 294 and your first instinct is to leave it alone?

Out or not, the fact that his opening move is to leave the ball rather then blocking and observing conditons instead shows his mentality and approach towards the game.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Hesson should get out of this thinking that playing with 3 bowlers is enough... Faheem and talat are not all-rounders that you can say will give you good 20 overs or 15 overs... Saim Ayub is no Shane Warne that you are trying to make him look like one, destroying his batting in process.

Hesson needs to find alternate to Abdullah, Naseem etc

 

[shah9425]

Stop his obsession of playing part time bowling options

Play proper bowling options

 

[mominsaigol]

Hesson should get out of this thinking that playing with 3 bowlers is enough... Faheem and talat are not all-rounders that you can say will give you good 20 overs or 15 overs... Saim Ayub is no Shane Warne that you are trying to make him look like one, destroying his batting in process.

Hesson needs to find alternate to Abdullah, Naseem etc

Looks like the performance watch is going down the drain.

So who's the next coach

 

[mominsaigol]

@Ahmed216 @Major @RidiculousMan @shaz619 @topspin @Rana @IMMY69 @BouncerGuy @TheSultan @sweep_shot @Nikhil_cric @The Bald Eagle

Apologies if ive missed any Pakistani fan/Neutral Fan.

Imo every coach be it mickey, Hesson, or whoever it is, has missed the trick of what made Ct 2017 campaign successful.

Ct 2017 squad was packed with actual performers and mostly new bloods.

Hafeez and Malik despite being veterans were returning to the squad. They weren't present through and through. Malik came back after a successful overseas League stint while Hafeez found form at no 4 and discarded the opening position.

Babar was brand new at the time and was top scoring and despite the Ahmed shehzad goof up, Falhar was brought in and he was another top performer.

Shadab, Amir, Hasan Ali, Imad and many others followed a similar trend

The issue is that from 2019 uptill 2025, their hasnt been any effort for a drastic overhaul. The t20 side may have tried to chop things up, but keeping babar and rizwan as backups for injury isnt a step forward.

Keeping babar and rizwan at present is no different than Pakistan consistently persisting with Ahmed Shehzad over Fakhar Zaman.

At the end of the day regardless of the drop in talent the following events have unfolded.

A) KG scored a century vs Zimb in odi, vs England in tests and a good 60 score at a 200SR at no 6 vs SA

B) Hasan Nawaz has scored 2 back to back odi centuries at a healthy sr, a 44 ball 100 in overseas conditons in t20 and overall a solid t20 run so far.

C) Salman Mirza has proven to be more consistent in terms of line and length vs Shaheen and Naseem

D) Muhammad Haris despite being a flat track bully so far has had a killer run at no 3 in t20 and no 7 2 years ago in odi. Including a t20 century where only 4 dot balls were played

E) Shahibzada Farhan has had an unreal season in PSL and a decent t20 run as an opener.

F) Agha who despite criticismin t20, has been your best test batter overall in 2024 and had a decent odi run pre wi series. 3 games isnt a good sample size to judge atm. He has been a good odi batter from 2023 uptill now.

The only true failures amoung newbies bloods added have been Saud in odi, Saim post injury, and Abdullah although Abdullah after 2+ years in the team can no longer be classified as a newbie.

Despite this their hasnt been any effort to overhaul the team in odi and test and t20 always has an asterisk mark next to it.

^^ Out of all these players excluding Hasan Nawaz, the rest have been treated like filth. With them being dropped or in the case of Agha being shuffled all over the place rather then allowing him to stay at no 4/5 where stats show it is by far his best position to bat in.

Talent pool drying up is one thing, but talent pool not even being utilised is another.

Whats worse is that some of our beloved Twitter superstars are constantly tweeting Imam's return.

^^ This is the sort of backwards approach that is consistently killing everything.

 

[mominsaigol]

@Ahmed216 @Major @RidiculousMan @shaz619 @topspin @Rana @IMMY69 @BouncerGuy @TheSultan @sweep_shot @Nikhil_cric @The Bald Eagle

Apologies if ive missed any Pakistani fan/Neutral Fan.

Imo every coach be it mickey, Hesson, or whoever it is, has missed the trick of what made Ct 2017 campaign successful.

Ct 2017 squad was packed with actual performers and mostly new bloods.

Hafeez and Malik despite being veterans were returning to the squad. They weren't present through and through. Malik came back after a successful overseas League stint while Hafeez found form at no 4 and discarded the opening position.

Babar was brand new at the time and was top scoring and despite the Ahmed shehzad goof up, Falhar was brought in and he was another top performer.

Shadab, Amir, Hasan Ali, Imad and many others followed a similar trend

The issue is that from 2019 uptill 2025, their hasnt been any effort for a drastic overhaul. The t20 side may have tried to chop things up, but keeping babar and rizwan as backups for injury isnt a step forward.

Keeping babar and rizwan at present is no different than Pakistan consistently persisting with Ahmed Shehzad over Fakhar Zaman.

At the end of the day regardless of the drop in talent the following events have unfolded.

A) KG scored a century vs Zimb in odi, vs England in tests and a good 60 score at a 200SR at no 6 vs SA

B) Hasan Nawaz has scored 2 back to back odi centuries at a healthy sr, a 44 ball 100 in overseas conditons in t20 and overall a solid t20 run so far.

C) Salman Mirza has proven to be more consistent in terms of line and length vs Shaheen and Naseem

D) Muhammad Haris despite being a flat track bully so far has had a killer run at no 3 in t20 and no 7 2 years ago in odi. Including a t20 century where only 4 dot balls were played

E) Shahibzada Farhan has had an unreal season in PSL and a decent t20 run as an opener.

F) Agha who despite criticismin t20, has been your best test batter overall in 2024 and had a decent odi run pre wi series. 3 games isnt a good sample size to judge atm. He has been a good odi batter from 2023 uptill now.

The only true failures amoung newbies bloods added have been Saud in odi, Saim post injury, and Abdullah although Abdullah after 2+ years in the team can no longer be classified as a newbie.

Despite this their hasnt been any effort to overhaul the team in odi and test and t20 always has an asterisk mark next to it.

^^ Out of all these players excluding Hasan Nawaz, the rest have been treated like filth. With them being dropped or in the case of Agha being shuffled all over the place rather then allowing him to stay at no 4/5 where stats show it is by far his best position to bat in.

Talent pool drying up is one thing, but talent pool not even being utilised is another.

Whats worse is that some of our beloved Twitter superstars are constantly tweeting Imam's return.

^^ This is the sort of backwards approach that is consistently killing everything.

@Wasim Ghulam @DeadlyVenom @Inswinging Yorker @160KPH

Forgot to ping you guys as well

 

[DeadlyVenom]

5 wickets down you have M Nawaz. You never know if this guy is awake or asleep on his day.

6 wickets down you get Hassan Ali. He is nothing but a decent tailender.

You lose 5 wickets as Pakistan….you better hope you don’t lose the next 5 for 30 runs.

Isn't this a consequence of having all these all rounders?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

@Wasim Ghulam @DeadlyVenom @Inswinging Yorker @160KPH

Forgot to ping you guys as well

I don't think there is a need to overanalyze at this stage. This is a major overhaul project. Hesson has to initially play with the hand he has been dealt. Pakistan has invested a lot in players like Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and Naseem, at the expense of developing other players because we had no squad rotation systems in place.

So we can't blame Hesson for not undertaking a major overhaul straight away. The first thing he needs to do is see what he can get out of this investment.

As far as comparisons with champions trophy. We played well in that tournament but of course were helped by a purple patch of Hassan Ali and riding our luck. That's not to downplay our achievements, you have to ride your luck to win a cup, every team does. But I don't think it gives us a template for long term success.

As Pakistani fans we seem to fall into the trap of begging for bilaterals not to be taken seriously, but then taking them extra seriously when we lose.

Let's treat this as a long term project, and hope the board has the guts to do the same.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

@Ahmed216 @Major @RidiculousMan @shaz619 @topspin @Rana @IMMY69 @BouncerGuy @TheSultan @sweep_shot @Nikhil_cric @The Bald Eagle

Apologies if ive missed any Pakistani fan/Neutral Fan.

Imo every coach be it mickey, Hesson, or whoever it is, has missed the trick of what made Ct 2017 campaign successful.

Ct 2017 squad was packed with actual performers and mostly new bloods.

Hafeez and Malik despite being veterans were returning to the squad. They weren't present through and through. Malik came back after a successful overseas League stint while Hafeez found form at no 4 and discarded the opening position.

Babar was brand new at the time and was top scoring and despite the Ahmed shehzad goof up, Falhar was brought in and he was another top performer.

Shadab, Amir, Hasan Ali, Imad and many others followed a similar trend

The issue is that from 2019 uptill 2025, their hasnt been any effort for a drastic overhaul. The t20 side may have tried to chop things up, but keeping babar and rizwan as backups for injury isnt a step forward.

Keeping babar and rizwan at present is no different than Pakistan consistently persisting with Ahmed Shehzad over Fakhar Zaman.

At the end of the day regardless of the drop in talent the following events have unfolded.

A) KG scored a century vs Zimb in odi, vs England in tests and a good 60 score at a 200SR at no 6 vs SA

B) Hasan Nawaz has scored 2 back to back odi centuries at a healthy sr, a 44 ball 100 in overseas conditons in t20 and overall a solid t20 run so far.

C) Salman Mirza has proven to be more consistent in terms of line and length vs Shaheen and Naseem

D) Muhammad Haris despite being a flat track bully so far has had a killer run at no 3 in t20 and no 7 2 years ago in odi. Including a t20 century where only 4 dot balls were played

E) Shahibzada Farhan has had an unreal season in PSL and a decent t20 run as an opener.

F) Agha who despite criticismin t20, has been your best test batter overall in 2024 and had a decent odi run pre wi series. 3 games isnt a good sample size to judge atm. He has been a good odi batter from 2023 uptill now.

The only true failures amoung newbies bloods added have been Saud in odi, Saim post injury, and Abdullah although Abdullah after 2+ years in the team can no longer be classified as a newbie.

Despite this their hasnt been any effort to overhaul the team in odi and test and t20 always has an asterisk mark next to it.

^^ Out of all these players excluding Hasan Nawaz, the rest have been treated like filth. With them being dropped or in the case of Agha being shuffled all over the place rather then allowing him to stay at no 4/5 where stats show it is by far his best position to bat in.

Talent pool drying up is one thing, but talent pool not even being utilised is another.

Whats worse is that some of our beloved Twitter superstars are constantly tweeting Imam's return.

^^ This is the sort of backwards approach that is consistently killing everything.

New meta of ODI cricket with only 1 ball being used from 35 to 50.

I'm not sure what combination teams will go with but if there's a truism in white ball cricket, it is that when in doubt , go for deeper batting lineups .

It always works and that partly explains Australia's dominance over the years in ODI cricket

I don't accept that Pakistan are losing because of part time bowlers. West Indies had Shepherd coming in at #8 and he is not a main seamer.

I think Khushdil was dropped prematurely considering his ODI batting was fine in the CT.

Nawaz is just rubbish. Pakistan need to play 4 bowlers and then trust Saim and Khushdil to cover that 5th option

 

[DeadlyVenom]

New meta of ODI cricket with only 1 ball being used from 35 to 50.

I'm not sure what combination teams will go with but if there's a truism in white ball cricket, it is that when in doubt , go for deeper batting lineups .

It always works and that partly explains Australia's dominance over the years in ODI cricket

I don't accept that Pakistan are losing because of part time bowlers. West Indies had Shepherd coming in at #8 and he is not a main seamer.

I think Khushdil was dropped prematurely considering his ODI batting was fine in the CT.

Nawaz is just rubbish. Pakistan need to play 4 bowlers and then trust Saim and Khushdil to cover that 5th option

Do you think Agha himself can help cover that 5th bowling option with Saim and we can play another batsman instead of a Khushdil type all rounder?

 

[Usman Chadda]

I don't think there is a need to overanalyze at this stage. This is a major overhaul project. Hesson has to initially play with the hand he has been dealt. Pakistan has invested a lot in players like Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and Naseem, at the expense of developing other players because we had no squad rotation systems in place.

So we can't blame Hesson for not undertaking a major overhaul straight away. The first thing he needs to do is see what he can get out of this investment.

As far as comparisons with champions trophy. We played well in that tournament but of course were helped by a purple patch of Hassan Ali and riding our luck. That's not to downplay our achievements, you have to ride your luck to win a cup, every team does. But I don't think it gives us a template for long term success.

As Pakistani fans we seem to fall into the trap of begging for bilaterals not to be taken seriously, but then taking them extra seriously when we lose.

Let's treat this as a long term project, and hope the board has the guts to do the same.

I think Hesson should take this experience in his stride and be ruthless in his selections going forward, irrespective of any noise coming in from social media or other quarters.

That’s the first thing he needs to do.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Do you think Agha himself can help cover that 5th bowling option with Saim and we can play another batsman instead of a Khushdil type all rounder?

This year, Agha has been terrible with the ball. I think that 6th bowler can be whoever.

But it's imperative to get rid of Mohammad Nawaz first and foremost.

He is neither a wicket taking bowler to play at #8 nor is he a proper explosive finisher to play at #7.

 

[Rana]

Isn't this a consequence of having all these all rounders?

How else do you sort out the issue?

Do you want Shaheen batting at number 7?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

How else do you sort out the issue?

Do you want Shaheen batting at number 7?

Fakhar
Saim
Sahibzada
Kg/Talat
H Nawaz
Agha
Haris
Bowler
Bowler
Bowler
Bowler

I think we need to play this. Hope we can at least 10 but ideally 12-15 from Talat (or kG), Agha and Saim

 

[Rana]

Fakhar
Saim
Sahibzada
Kg/Talat
H Nawaz
Agha
Haris
Bowler
Bowler
Bowler
Bowler

I think we need to play this. Hope we can at least 10 but ideally 12-15 from Talat (or kG), Agha and Saim

This is fine.

Pakistan were playing the extra batter throughout because Hesson has no trust in the line up with 3 outdated white ball batters. He added the extra muscle in Nawaz and Talat…it proved to be the right decision in 2/3 games because the extra batter (batters) gave you the partnership and runs that were vital.

We either accept that our tail starts 6 wickets down or we rely on Saim or Agha as the 5th bowler option

 

[Wasim Ghulam]

I don't think there is a need to overanalyze at this stage. This is a major overhaul project. Hesson has to initially play with the hand he has been dealt. Pakistan has invested a lot in players like Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and Naseem, at the expense of developing other players because we had no squad rotation systems in place.

So we can't blame Hesson for not undertaking a major overhaul straight away. The first thing he needs to do is see what he can get out of this investment.

As far as comparisons with champions trophy. We played well in that tournament but of course were helped by a purple patch of Hassan Ali and riding our luck. That's not to downplay our achievements, you have to ride your luck to win a cup, every team does. But I don't think it gives us a template for long term success.

As Pakistani fans we seem to fall into the trap of begging for bilaterals not to be taken seriously, but then taking them extra seriously when we lose.

Let's treat this as a long term project, and hope the board has the guts to do the same.

I think Whenever we loose , We end up blaming Batting more than bowling , we won 2017 CT because we bowled well in all Games after India Trashed us in opening Game. We stopped the Juggernaut of Eng Batting at paltry 210 and then ran over greatest Indian Batting line up India has ever produced in ODIs

Pakistan has always Relied on Good Bowling attack to win tournaments and post 2020 our bowling has been one of the worst Pak has ever fielded . Let me Give you Examples of goof ups

2021 We failed to Defend 48 Runs off 4 Overs in Dubai
2022 We Failed to Defend 48 Runs off 18 Balls
2023 India Smashed 350 Against us in Seam friendly Conditions
2023 We ended up conceding Defeat to Afg by 8 wickets after scoring 280 on Turning Track of Chennai. Same venue where NZ dismissed Afg for 140 chasing similiar target
2024 We could nt Defend 5 Runs off last ball against USA
2025 NZ smashed 320 against us while being 70/3 in CT

and yesterday WI gave us pasting on track where we could nt score 100 Runs as team

We need Decent bowlers who can at least exploit the conditions , Capable of seam and Swing bowling. Right now we got Shaheen and Naseem and they are simply not good enough. Shaheen Played first 2 ODis and he looked like a club bowler in Front of someone like Jayden Seals. you cannot dismiss batters at top if you cant seam and swing the new Ball

We tried Akif Javed in NZ series and he was decent.. Why was he dropped? Salman Mirza also proved his credentials

No matter how we shuffle our batting order or what changes we make in our batting , We need to find a good bowling attack to succeed .. For Pakistan thats always been the case

 

[BouncerGuy]

STAY ON TOPIC PLEASE

 

[Rana]

At least with Saud you had an ok left arm spin option against right handers.

 

[Asad T]

We need to give Hesson some time to settle in and to build a team. He's a great coach, but it will take some time for him to get familiar with the players, perfect combinations, and to build bench strength. I'm sure if he has a 4-year run and is given authority to execute his plans, our white ball team will eventually be a force to reckon with.

 

[Suleiman]

Here we go, becharay Hesson Saab going to get hated on for not miraculously turning this minnow level team into world beaters.

Blame lack of hunger to win and improve in current and up and coming talent and lack of skill partly due to bad pay and horrible employer in PCB that the team is more focused on sight seeing, enjoying the breeze at the beach and enjoying some jerk chicken and oxtail rather than clean sweeping WI.

 

[mominsaigol]

At least with Saud you had an ok left arm spin option against right handers.

In odi kamran Ghulam is a better odi batsmen then Saud shakeel. In tests both should play.

Agenda posters don't know anything. I actually like ghulam, he's a terrific backfoot player and a gun player of spin.

He however is similar to fakhar in that he takes a bit of time to settle in but he eventually ups his sr to 100 or 100+.

His front foot is weak vs Pace which is why he probably isnt suited to the no 3 position but he's a solid no 4 batter.

Saud's issue is that he's not a natural striker of the ball. He was willing to up his game in odi and t20 but it just isnt his fortei. Otherwise he has the best defense in the country which explains why he's so good in test cricket assuming he isnt playing in Australia or NZ where its tricky for most batters in general.

It seems PCB isn't willing to put Ghulam > Babar in odi and still delusionally believe that Babar has his 2019-2021 form. Overall babar is > Ghulam but after 2022 babar is pretty much finished.

Ghulam is better atm.

 

[Mamoon]

The success/failure of Pakistan in white ball cricket depends on the performance of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Over the last four years, they have been at the heart of 80%+ matches that Pakistan have won in white ball cricket.

When they play well, Pakistan is a solid team. When they don’t play well, Pakistan is a borderline minnow.

Hesson’s job is simple — he needs to get these three back to their best. If he does, his tenure will be successful; if he doesn’t, he will bite the dust.

 

[mominsaigol]

The success/failure of Pakistan in white ball cricket depends on the performance of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Over the last four years, they have been at the heart of 80%+ matches that Pakistan have won in white ball cricket.

When they play well, Pakistan is a solid team. When they don’t play well, Pakistan is a borderline minnow.

Hesson’s job is simple — he needs to get these three back to their best. If he does, his tenure will be successful; if he doesn’t, he will bite the dust.

How is he suppose to get them back their best? Does he plug a controller in them and play them like a ps5 game?

Their performance is their own responsibility lol.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The success/failure of Pakistan in white ball cricket depends on the performance of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Over the last four years, they have been at the heart of 80%+ matches that Pakistan have won in white ball cricket.

When they play well, Pakistan is a solid team. When they don’t play well, Pakistan is a borderline minnow.

Hesson’s job is simple — he needs to get these three back to their best. If he does, his tenure will be successful; if he doesn’t, he will bite the dust.

This is Pakistan cricket, not Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen’s uncle ki team where the whole focus should be on getting them back in form. They are senior players and they should take responsibility for their own performances. If they cannot perform, they should be removed immediately even if we keep losing.

The whole social media is rioting as if Babar being out of form for two years is somehow the PCB’s, Mamoon’s, XYZ’s fault when inherently the fault lies with Babar and Babar only.

This is coming from a Babar fan, but that 22 in 10 overs game in a must-win game in CT just removed any love I had for him. Playing for your own runs at the expense of your country losing one-sided games cannot be tolerated in any sport.

 

[Rana]

How is he suppose to get them back their best? Does he plug a controller in them and play them like a ps5 game?

Their performance is their own responsibility lol.

He plugs his controller into “king Kar le ga” mode

 

[Rana]

This is Pakistan cricket, not Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen’s uncle ki team where the whole focus should be on getting them back in form. They are senior players and they should take responsibility for their own performances. If they cannot perform, they should be removed immediately even if we keep losing.

The whole social media is rioting as if Babar being out of form for two years is somehow the PCB’s, Mamoon’s, XYZ’s fault when inherently the fault lies with Babar and Babar only.

This is coming from a Babar fan, but that 22 in 10 overs game in a must-win game in CT just removed any love I had for him. Playing for your own runs at the expense of your country losing one-sided games cannot be tolerated in any sport.

Mamoon genuinely believes it’s their uncle’s team. This is 150iq belief.

 

[mominsaigol]

He plugs his controller into “king Kar le ga” mode

Mickey Arthur's job is to bring our babar's best
Sarfaraz job is to bring the best out of Ba/Riz/Shaheen
Misbah's job is to bring out the best of Ba/Riz/Shaheen

Now its Hesson? Bhai when they will they(Ba/riz/shaheen) bring out their best via their own form?

The only person who succeeded was ramiz but all he did was boost babar's avg to 70 while everyone else was boosted to 105 to 200 lol including Khawaja, using fraud pitches.

I don't think any coach except maybe Misbah due to his outdated views is telling Rizwan and babar to score 1 of 18, 20 of 50's etc etc.

 

[Rana]

Mickey Arthur's job is to bring our babar's best
Sarfaraz job is to bring the best out of Ba/Riz/Shaheen
Misbah's job is to bring out the best of Ba/Riz/Shaheen

Now its Hesson? Bhai when they will they(Ba/riz/shaheen) bring out their best via their own form?

The only person who succeeded was ramiz but all he did was boost babar's avg to 70 while everyone else was boosted to 105 to 200 lol including Khawaja, using fraud pitches.

I don't think any coach except maybe Misbah due to his outdated views is telling Rizwan and babar to score 1 of 18, 20 of 50's etc etc.

It’s everyone’s job to bring out the best in them or they lose their job.

 

[mominsaigol]

It’s everyone’s job to bring out the best in them or they lose their job.

No wonder unemployment is on a global rise when you have such employers

 

[bones]

The success/failure of Pakistan in white ball cricket depends on the performance of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Over the last four years, they have been at the heart of 80%+ matches that Pakistan have won in white ball cricket.

When they play well, Pakistan is a solid team. When they don’t play well, Pakistan is a borderline minnow.

Hesson’s job is simple — he needs to get these three back to their best. If he does, his tenure will be successful; if he doesn’t, he will bite the dust.

If the fate of Pakistan depends on the formn of 3 players then we're in even deeper mess than we already knew.

His job is to get the best out of the TEAM, not 3 players!

 

[Mamoon]

How is he suppose to get them back their best? Does he plug a controller in them and play them like a ps5 game?

Their performance is their own responsibility lol.

A coach lives and dies by the performance of his players. Therefore, it is not just the responsibility of the players to perform but it is also the responsibility of the coach to make them perform.

If you will not judge a coach by the performance of his players and therefore, the results, what will you judge him on? With this mindset, you cannot hold any coach accountable and you can make anyone the coach.

If Hesson cannot get Pakistan's best players to perform at their best level, he deserved to be sacked.

 

[Mamoon]

If the fate of Pakistan depends on the formn of 3 players then we're in even deeper mess than we already knew.

His job is to get the best out of the TEAM, not 3 players!

But we know that already. Pakistan has no talent, and these players are the best we've got. It is the delusion of the fans that Pakistan have better players waiting outside. We don't.

 

[Mamoon]

This is Pakistan cricket, not Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen’s uncle ki team where the whole focus should be on getting them back in form. They are senior players and they should take responsibility for their own performances. If they cannot perform, they should be removed immediately even if we keep losing.

The whole social media is rioting as if Babar being out of form for two years is somehow the PCB’s, Mamoon’s, XYZ’s fault when inherently the fault lies with Babar and Babar only.

This is coming from a Babar fan, but that 22 in 10 overs game in a must-win game in CT just removed any love I had for him. Playing for your own runs at the expense of your country losing one-sided games cannot be tolerated in any sport.

It is not an ideal situation but it is the reality based on the dearth of talent in Pakistan. Our fans always think that we have better talent waiting in the wings but the reality is that we don't. It is just what they believe in to feel optimistic.

Babar is in terrible form, there is no denying it. However, Pakistan has no chance of being successful if they remove him, Rizwan and Shaheen from the team. On the contrary, Pakistan has a good chance of being successful if these three perform well, and we have seen that in the past.

 

[Rana]

But we know that already. Pakistan has no talent

Pakistan backed young talents like Nawaz and Saim. They are key players now.

Pakistan win games where Sahibzada Farhan fires for them.

Pakistan backed their emerging T20 pacers in Salman Mirza. He had an excellent national T20 cup tournament and PSL. He did brilliantly for Pakistan in Bangladesh.

Pakistan won their 2 Tests against England by removing Babar and backing Kamran Ghulam.

Pakistan will continue to produce talented cricketers. The world will go on without Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen.

Deal with it.

 

[Mamoon]

That’s a load of crap

Pakistan backed young talents like Nawaz and Saim. They are key players now.

Pakistan win games where Sahibzada Farhan fires for them.

Pakistan backed their emerging T20 pacers in Salman Mirza. He had an excellent national T20 cup tournament and PSL. He did brilliantly for Pakistan in Bangladesh.

Pakistan won their 2 Tests against England by removing Babar and backing Kamran Ghulam.

Pakistan will continue to produce talented cricketers. The world will go on without Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen.

Deal with it.

When a proper young talent emerges, he comes through and no one stops his path.

Saim is where he is today because of the backing he got from Babar and his franchise. They picked him up when the "great captain and mentor" Sarfaraz discarded him in the PSL. Also, the "Selfish" Babar gave up his opening spot for him in T20Is even though Saim couldn't buy a run for 15 straight matches.

The delusions of Pakistan's talent were laid to rest in BD and WI when they got exposed on tricky pitches. If Babar and Rizwan were holding the team back, we would have seen them win left, right and center after these two were removed, but that didn't happen, did it?

We are not talking about Test cricket here. That is different. Pakistan's success in Test cricket entirely depends on preparing spin tracks at home and playing two experienced FC spinners. This is why, across formats, Pakistan's best chance of being a successful team is actually Test cricket, but PCB will have to host more Test matches. Pakistan can easily win 4-5 Test matches every year vs the top 4 opposition.

Pakistan is one of the least talented cricket nations around, if not the least talented. 99% of the players coming through don't have what it takes to excel at the highest level. That is the harsh reality. It is just the delusion of the fans that if you remove XYZ from the team, we will turn a tide. We will not.

Babar and Rizwan have nothing to do with the fact that Pakistan have lost 3 out of its last 4 T20I series (NZ away, BD away, WI away).

 

[mominsaigol]

A coach lives and dies by the performance of his players. Therefore, it is not just the responsibility of the players to perform but it is also the responsibility of the coach to make them perform.

If you will not judge a coach by the performance of his players and therefore, the results, what will you judge him on? With this mindset, you cannot hold any coach accountable and you can make anyone the coach.

If Hesson cannot get Pakistan's best players to perform at their best level, he deserved to be sacked.

Didn't you claim John Buchanan was a nothing coach and Ponting was a nothing captain simply due to the fact that they inherited and led an already unbeatable ATG side?

Mike Hesson isnt a good coach. I am not aware of others views but I dislike him as a coach since I'm perfectly aware of his past stints. In terms of team development its zero, hes the type of coach to bring the best out of an established team but doesn't overhaul or revamp sides.

But how is it his fault if Ba/Riz/Shaheen are failing?

He is literally doing what you ask of him and playing these 3? What else can he do? He can't bat, Keep, Captain and bowl for them, nor can he train them.

Their professional cricketers, not house pets that you can train.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Let's not jump to the conclusion for Hesson after a couple of series.

 

[Mamoon]

Didn't you claim John Buchanan was a nothing coach and Ponting was a nothing captain simply due to the fact that they inherited and led an already unbeatable ATG side?

A coach and captain live and die by results. If the team does well, they get the credit even if they are not responsible for the success of the team. Similarly, if the team does not do well, they get the blame even if they are not responsible for the failure.

That's the nature of this job. You can get unfair credit and also unfair blame, but it is how it works. You are as good or bad as the results. Everyone knows that you could have anyone coach Australia from 2000 to 2007 and they would be extremely formidable because no coach can coach cricketers like Ponting, Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Hayden etc. to failure.

Mike Hesson isnt a good coach. I am not aware of others views but I dislike him as a coach since I'm perfectly aware of his past stints. In terms of team development its zero, hes the type of coach to bring the best out of an established team but doesn't overhaul or revamp sides.

But how is it his fault if Ba/Riz/Shaheen are failing?

He is literally doing what you ask of him and playing these 3? What else can he do? He can't bat, Keep, Captain and bowl for them, nor can he train them.

Their professional cricketers, not house pets that you can train.

A coach's job is not just pick the players. Anyone can do that. Why hire someone and pay him millions if his only job is to select the players?

A coach's job is to work with the players every day. Try to understand why a player is not performing at his best. Identify weaknesses, develop a plan that will help the player overcome that weakness. Understand the psyche of the players, create an environment where they feel confident and secure and are in the right frame of mind to play their best cricket.

This is what the coach is judged on and ultimately, the effectiveness of his coaching is measured by the outcomes on the pitch. Otherwise, you can keep a coach in the job forever because he is not responsible for the performance.

 

[mominsaigol]

A coach and captain live and die by results. If the team does well, they get the credit even if they are not responsible for the success of the team. Similarly, if the team does not do well, they get the blame even if they are not responsible for the failure.

That's the nature of this job. You can get unfair credit and also unfair blame, but it is how it works. You are as good or bad as the results. Everyone knows that you could have anyone coach Australia from 2000 to 2007 and they would be extremely formidable because no coach can coach cricketers like Ponting, Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Hayden etc. to failure.

A coach's job is not just pick the players. Anyone can do that. Why hire someone and pay him millions if his only job is to select the players?

A coach's job is to work with the players every day. Try to understand why a player is not performing at his best. Identify weaknesses, develop a plan that will help the player overcome that weakness. Understand the psyche of the players, create an environment where they feel confident and secure and are in the right frame of mind to play their best cricket.

This is what the coach is judged on and ultimately, the effectiveness of his coaching is measured by the outcomes on the pitch. Otherwise, you can keep a coach in the job forever because he is not responsible for the performance.

No coach can coach cricketers like Ponting, Mcgrath, Hayden, Gilly etc etc to Greatness but they can coach Babar and Rizwan to Greatness and are expected to get them out of the current rut that they are in?

A coach's job is to work with the players every day. Try to understand why a player is not performing at his best. Identify weaknesses, develop a plan that will help the player overcome that weakness. Understand the psyche of the players, create an environment where they feel confident and secure and are in the right frame of mind to play their best cricket.

Create an enviroment where rthey feel confident, secure and in the right frame of mind? Bro then just tell them to do what Jonathan Trott did and seek professional therapy . A coach isnt a psychologist.


His job is to select, find the right team combination and bring out the best in their players by properly playing them. For example data shows that Muhammad haris in t20 has the best numbers at no 3 and hence its the coach's job to play haris at that number if selected, and not play him at any other number which has happened with players before.

His job isnt to train them or teach them how to bat, ball or field.

 

[Rana]

Saim is where he is today because of the backing he got from Babar and his franchise. They picked him up when the "great captain and mentor" Sarfaraz discarded him in the PSL. Also, the "Selfish" Babar gave up his opening spot for him in T20Is even though Saim couldn't buy a run for 15 straight matches

Again, this is a complete distortion of the truth

Saim Ayub was released by QG because of franchise retention rules and it was a mistake in hindsight. These things happen all the time in franchise cricket and young players trajectory. You can release a player because you don’t think he’s quite doing it for you, and the player is picked up by a new team and new management in the future, and turns a page. This stuff happens all the time. Peshawar Zalmi released Haider Ali to accommodate Babar Azam. Haider Ali a couple of season’s later knocked out PZ and won the PSL with Islamabad United, Babar hasn’t won anything since!

In the case of Ayub, he was the hottest property in pakistan cricket at the time and EVERYONE wanted him because of his outstanding season with Sindh in the national T20 cup and One Day cup! PZ didn’t pick a player nobody believed him. They used their wild card to pick him in the Diamond or Gold even though he was in the emerging category. That’s how high his demand was because he was a sure first pick for whoever had pick 1 in the emerging cat.

And what did PZ+Babar do when they got the chance to brood him in? Which position did he play for them and what position did Babar play throughout the past 3 years only to finally surrender the opening slot? I remember senior Mods here too saying “number 3 is a good as opening, so Saim has no excuse”, even though all of his performances that played a role in his rise was at the opening position!

Babar has done NOTHING for Saim! In fact he and Rizwan have done their best to find an excuse to not play him as an opener to protect their own positions!

 

[Usman Chadda]

It is not an ideal situation but it is the reality based on the dearth of talent in Pakistan. Our fans always think that we have better talent waiting in the wings but the reality is that we don't. It is just what they believe in to feel optimistic.

Babar is in terrible form, there is no denying it. However, Pakistan has no chance of being successful if they remove him, Rizwan and Shaheen from the team. On the contrary, Pakistan has a good chance of being successful if these three perform well, and we have seen that in the past.

If you make Pakistan cricket all about getting Babar Azam back into form, where do the younger players in domestic cricket stand? Babar's body of work has given him a long rope of two years, where he has not shown any indication about getting his form back at all. The next step is to remove him and ask him to go back to domestic cricket and rack up runs to make a comeback.

Yes we have no talent, but the limited talent we do have deserves exposure when the senior players have been failing consistently and losing to minnows aswell. Otherwise, what's the point of domestic cricket?

Also, Babar and Rizwan are clearly guilty of playing for themselves on numerous occasions. This needs to be eradicated from the team culture, as whatever little talent that comes through will follow the wrong examples to keep themselves relevant at international level.

I don't like saying this, but I think the chapter should be closed now. Rizbar's struggles have become bigger talking points than Pakistan losing games in itself, and that sets a dangerous precedent.

 

[Mamoon]

Again, this is a complete distortion of the truth

Saim Ayub was released by QG because of franchise retention rules and it was a mistake in hindsight. These things happen all the time in franchise cricket and young players trajectory. You can release a player because you don’t think he’s quite doing it for you, and the player is picked up by a new team and new management in the future, and turns a page. This stuff happens all the time. Peshawar Zalmi released Haider Ali to accommodate Babar Azam. Haider Ali a couple of season’s later knocked out PZ and won the PSL with Islamabad United, Babar hasn’t won anything since!

In the case of Ayub, he was the hottest property in pakistan cricket at the time and EVERYONE wanted him because of his outstanding season with Sindh in the national T20 cup and One Day cup! PZ didn’t pick a player nobody believed him. They used their wild card to pick him in the Diamond or Gold even though he was in the emerging category. That’s how high his demand was because he was a sure first pick for whoever had pick 1 in the emerging cat.

And what did PZ+Babar do when they got the chance to brood him in? Which position did he play for them and what position did Babar play throughout the past 3 years only to finally surrender the opening slot? I remember senior Mods here too saying “number 3 is a good as opening, so Saim has no excuse”, even though all of his performances that played a role in his rise was at the opening position!

Babar has done NOTHING for Saim! In fact he and Rizwan have done their best to find an excuse to not play him as an opener to protect their own positions!

You wrote a lot but said nothing.

I repeat: Saim was discarded by QG, but Babar and PZ saved his career.

There is no distortion of truth, just your denial because the reality doesn’t suit your agenda.

No more replies unless I see something intelligent.

 

[Rana]

You wrote a lot but said nothing.

I repeat: Saim was discarded by QG, but Babar and PZ saved his career.

There is no distortion of truth, just your denial because the reality doesn’t suit your agenda.

No more replies unless I see something intelligent.

What’s not true here?

PZ released Haider Ali by trading him in for Babar

KK released him too,

The next season, Haider Ali knocked out PZ from the PSL.

What’s incorrect about this?

 

[Markhor]

Think Coach Hesson needs to play another three allrounders...

 

[Major]

You wrote a lot but said nothing.

I repeat: Saim was discarded by QG, but Babar and PZ saved his career.

There is no distortion of truth, just your denial because the reality doesn’t suit your agenda.

No more replies unless I see something intelligent.

Jokes on you for expecting something intelligent from a guy who thinks Asif Ali should be the captain and Azam Khan is the next best keepet after Gilchrist

 

[Rana]

Jokes on you for expecting something intelligent from a guy who thinks Asif Ali should be the captain and Azam Khan is the next best keepet after Gilchrist

Yes the jokes on him and you for saying Joginder Sharma is a more impactful bowler than Shoaib Akhtar.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

No player should be completely out of the picture. Hesson should absolutely work with Rizwan and Babar to try and improve but if they can;t cut the mustard they should be discarded. They have had very long ropes and haven't really pushed on. This decision should be made quickly as we have numerous high-profile LOI engagements in the coming cycle.

Longer rope should be given to potential X Factor players like Shaheen and Shadab Khan. They are proper T20 cricketers when on form and should be given some preferential treatment because if they can get back to their former selves they are amongst the best in class for their specific skills. In the case of Babar and Rizwan, their careers have regressed because of their limited skillsets. We can give Shaheen and Shadab some leeway, as they have had bad injuries that have set them back, but when on form, both of them are dynamic cricketers and have good T20 credentials.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

The success/failure of Pakistan in white ball cricket depends on the performance of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Over the last four years, they have been at the heart of 80%+ matches that Pakistan have won in white ball cricket.

When they play well, Pakistan is a solid team. When they don’t play well, Pakistan is a borderline minnow.

Hesson’s job is simple — he needs to get these three back to their best. If he does, his tenure will be successful; if he doesn’t, he will bite the dust.

Saim Ayub is better than Both Babar and Rizwan in terms of ability and has also proven that he can win matches.

Shaheen still wins some matches for Pakistan but it has been more than a year since Rizzu Symonds and King did anything worthwhile.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Hessons job is not to get Rizwan and Azam back in form, his job is to provide a good environment to youngsters like Ayub, Hassan Nawaz, Sufiyan and Abrar.

Babar and Rizwan are seniors who need to come out of this rut on their own, Hesson could have given them continuous chances even if they were out of form but the problem is they are incredibly selfish.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

This guy was also supporting Conway's and Williamson's inclusions in NZ's T20 side last year when they got smashed at the World T20

He's not the revolutionary coach PCT fans are expecting.

You should have stuck with Kirsten or gotten Andy Flower if you wanted a coach to significantly change your cricket

 

[RidiculousMan]

The success/failure of Pakistan in white ball cricket depends on the performance of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Over the last four years, they have been at the heart of 80%+ matches that Pakistan have won in white ball cricket.

When they play well, Pakistan is a solid team. When they don’t play well, Pakistan is a borderline minnow.

Hesson’s job is simple — he needs to get these three back to their best. If he does, his tenure will be successful; if he doesn’t, he will bite the dust.

You have succumb to the notion that in a team sports, certain individuals are bigger than the team.

 

[Mamoon]

You have succumb to the notion that in a team sports, certain individuals are bigger than the team.

You can put me in any list you want, but the reality is that Pakistan has no talent.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Pakistan coach reveals how Babar can return for T20 World Cup

A potential lifeline for Babar Azam as he tries to win his place back in Pakistan's T20I side for next year's T20 World Cup.
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson has revealed the path out of favour batter Babar Azam must take to earn a place in his plans for next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Babar hasn't featured in the shortest format for Pakistan since the end of last year and the right-hander was recently left out of the side's squad for the upcoming tri-series against UAE and Afghanistan and next month's Asia Cup.

The former Pakistan captain looked in decent touch when he managed 47 from 64 deliveries during the opening match of Pakistan's recent ODI series against the West Indies in Trinidad, but a pair of failures (zero and nine) from the ensuing contests failed to grab the attention of selectors.


Hesson suggested two key areas that Babar must address if he wishes to return to the international fold for the next edition of the T20 World Cup at the start of next year and has left the door ajar should the former Pakistan skipper be able to perform well during Australia's domestic Big Bash (BBL) competition in December and January.

"There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he's working really hard on," Hesson said.

"But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games (against Bangladesh and West Indies) and won three Player of the Match awards.

"A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player not to consider."

The absence of Babar wasn't the only surprise in Hesson's squad for Pakistan's upcoming contests, with Mohammad Rizwan also missing out on the 17-player group as selectors opted to choose batters that consistently scored at a high strike rate.

Hesson indicated it was important that players that had performed well in recent white-ball matches were rewarded and said that choosing batters that scored quickly would be part of his selection process going forward.

"We were challenged with three different surfaces (in recent matches against Bangladesh and West Indies)" Hesson said.

"In Lahore, the surfaces were flat and the batting excelled. We went to Bangladesh where they were incredibly challenging and low-scoring games. Our top-order sets the game up. All the games we won the top order performed really well.

"The third game in the West Indies, our openers put on 140 (138). We need that at a run rate that gets us ahead of the game. T20 is all about setting the game up and being ahead of the game all the time in case you get yourself out. From a batting point of view we've got a line-up that can continue to do that."

Source: ICC

 

[Rana]

Thank you Mike Hesson for actually making Pakistan team worth following with anticipation again!

Thank you for actually putting in the hard work to create squad depth!

Thank you for busting the myth that Pakistan cannot compete and play at world standards without 2-3 frauds!

 

[Mamoon]

Thank you Mike Hesson for actually making Pakistan team worth following with anticipation again!

Thank you for actually putting in the hard work to create squad depth!

Thank you for busting the myth that Pakistan cannot compete and play at world standards without 2-3 frauds!

Yes, a team with Lord Talat, Lord Faheem and Lord Khushdil is worth following with anticipation

 

[Obaidd]

The hype at PP once Agha-Hesson duo wins the triseries is going to be insane.