Mike Hesson shared following thoughts in his presser today:
On the Goal and Strategy of the Camp:
"It's very much a white ball camp for us, uh with a T20 focus. So a lot about, I guess working backwards from the World Cup, um, identifying key areas that we need to work on, and then putting the boys under a bit of pressure. I think we've identified, even in the short time we've had with them, uh with the last series that there are some real fundamentals that we need to work on as a group and, you know, that's why we've got a week with them here. Um, you know the first few days will be around those and then we'll start to be a bit more specific focus leading into Bangladesh."
On Babar Azam and Wicket keeping Speculation:
"Firstly, Babar is not seen as a wicket keeping option. No, I'm not sure where that came from. But I've heard that speculation around, you know Babar is competing for one of the opening positions at the moment. Obviously we have Fakhar and Saim in those two roles at the moment. So he's competing for that."
On His Role in Selection:
"Secondly, from a selection point of view, I am part of the selection panel. Yes I am. and then the selectors or the selection panel select a squad of 20 players, and then the coach and captain present 15 to the chairman."
On Shaheen Shah Afridi Role and Future:
"Shaheen Shah Afridi is a world class player. So, there's no doubt that we've identified some areas that we think Shaheen needs to work on as does every player at this camp. But there's a good reason that him and everybody else is at this camp is that they're in the wider frame for Pakistan in white ball cricket and that includes T20 cricket. So, you know, players go through good periods and periods where they're a little bit down in their game. And it's up to us as a 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. So we certainly don't discount quality players, we try and work with them to help them come back stronger."
On Playing in Different Countries and Facilities:
"I'll talk to Hassan Ali first. I mean Hassan will be involved with our team in the West Indies. We've seen it as an opportunity for us to introduce Salman Mirza into the Bangladesh series and that's in the Hassan Ali place. But not instead of him, it's just we know Hassan's playing cricket at the moment, he's playing very well and we can provide an opportunity to another promising player and then Hassan will come and join us again in the West Indies. So, look, I think the opportunity to play in countries that are very different to Pakistan is important for a player's growth. So whether it's Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, those countries are very different than what we face and the facilities we can offer here. So that's one advantage other countries have too, when they send them to tournaments in the subcontinent, they start to grow. So certainly something we need to encourage but make sure it fits within the international program."
On Shaheen Afridi Being Left Out and Bowling Attack:
"Shaheen is a high quality player. We obviously had Hassan Ali and Harris Ralph and Abbas Afridi performed really well against Bangladesh. Obviously one is injured with Harris Ralph. Hassan Ali we've seen as an opportunity to bring in Salman Mirza. But Shaheen will get his opportunity. We want to make sure that Shaheen's also made some improvements to his game so when he comes back into the T20 side he performs well."
On Babar Azam and Strike Rate Expectations:
"I don't think I'll ask anyone to score at a 150 strike rate. I think that's unreasonable. There's no doubt strike rate is important in T20 cricket, but you have to combine that with obviously a volume of runs. So, you know, we've got players and there's a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is is because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough. And we certainly made some shifts as I said in that last series to play a more expansive game of cricket and probably catch up with the rest of the world in terms of that's the way the modern game is. So Babar is one of many who has the ability to make those improvements. I'm certainly here to work with him and help him and in the last month or so he's made some really good changes and it's not a matter of going from 125 to 150. It's just a matter of increasing what you offer, because we're no doubt often 30 or 40 runs short with the bat. So, we need to find a way of getting that."
On Fielding Focus and Weather Conditions:
"From a fielding point of view, we've brought in a new fielding coach, Shane McDermott, who is highly experienced in Asian conditions, worked with a number of teams around the world. And certainly, if you saw some of yesterday's training, there's some real intensity there. So, a big part of our fielding is to increase the intensity and increase the athleticism in the field."
"Weather, look, it's actually pretty good. Like, when I left Lahore, it was 48°. About three weeks ago. So this is impressive."
On Expectations for Upcoming Series Against Bangladesh:
"Against Bangladesh first, going to Mirpur, it's going to be a challenge, it'll be humid. We're obviously practicing on surfaces where the ball's going to turn and it's going to challenge our batting in particular against slow turning wickets. So, you know, Bangladesh in their own country are far harder than they are away from home so we expect a big challenge."
