"We couldn’t get enough from the top order to set ourselves up in any game": Mike Hesson

[Cricket Warrior]

Head Coach Mike Hesson’s post-match remarks following the series loss to West Indies:

"Obviously, coming to the end of the series in the West Indies, we lost 2-1. Obviously, we are very disappointed with that result. We had game two by the scruff of the neck at one stage and we weren't able to grab that opportunity."

"Today in the third game, I thought the first 35 overs with the ball were exceptional. Unfortunately, we didn't decide when to go to Plan B and weren't able to have enough defensive options with the ball, we delivered too many balls in the slot and West Indies got too many runs today."

"From a batting point of view, we weren't able to get enough substance from the top order to get ourselves set up in any of the games."

"We were fortunate with the likes of Hasan Nawaz who in his first series has been exceptional and he would have gotten plenty of confidence from that. The same with Hussain Talat, who showed some skill with the bat as well. So, we're developing a little bit of depth in that middle order."

"I thought our spin bowlers were exceptional throughout the series, I thought in the field we were very good but there's plenty to work on in terms of death bowling and obviously some substance from that top order."

 

[Mamoon]

I thought… I thought… I thought…

He sounds a lot like Mickey Arthur — he speaks a lot but says nothing, and he needs to think less and act more.

If he can’t get Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen — the three best cricketers in Pakistan — back to their best, he is doomed. The success of Pakistan especially in white ball cricket hinges on the performance of these three players.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I thought… I thought… I thought…

He sounds a lot like Mickey Arthur — he speaks a lot but says nothing, and he needs to think less and act more.

If he can’t get Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen — the three best cricketers in Pakistan — back to their best, he is doomed. The success of Pakistan especially in white ball cricket hinges on the performance of these three players.

At what point do these three take responsibility for their own wretched performances? He is no a magician with a magic wand, nor can he go out there and play for them. These three have been off-color for way too long...long before he came on. Babar hasn't even scored a century in 2 years. Really think we need to move away from this culture of blaming coaches. It's not going to solve anything.

 

[Rana]

If he can’t get Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen — the three best cricketers in Pakistan — back to their best, he is doomed. The success of Pakistan especially in white ball cricket hinges on the performance of these three players

150iq

 

[Usman Chadda]

At what point do these three take responsibility for their own wretched performances? He is no a magician with a magic wand, nor can he go out there and play for them. These three have been off-color for way too long...long before he came on. Babar hasn't even scored a century in 2 years. Really think we need to move away from this culture of blaming coaches. It's not going to solve anything.

Unfair to club Shaheen with the other two useless players, he has been contributing despite going missing at crucial stages.

Babar and Rizwan have contributed next to nothing since a while now.

 

[Mamoon]

Coaches live and die by results. If Pakistan keep losing, and he can’t bring out of form players back to form, he needs to go. As simple as that.

 

[Mamoon]

150iq

Have to drop 50 IQ points just to reply to you.

“Babar may shine, survive longer as a star T20i player because we do not know if batsmen like Haider Ali, Abdullah Shafiq and Azam Khan will overshadow him as proper T20 batsmen.”

— Rana, December 2020.

You used to be smart. What happened? Did you get a knock on your head?

 

[Rana]

I said this in the match threads, I’ll say it again.

Babar and Rizwan will sink your coaching career Mr. Hesson. Especially with the combination Rizwan wants to make it work. It’s Hesson who insists on somehow carrying them.

Now it’s up to you mate, have your career destroyed….or build from scratch.

 

[jnaveen1980]

One mystery i never understand his how Babar is still ranked world no.2 in ICC ranking. I guess other players concede points just by skipping matches. Since Nepal's match Babar's stats are

30 matches 938 runs 36.07 average 78.75 strike rate 0 centuries 9 fifties

That is 2 years back.

 

[Mamoon]

Look at all the white ball wins of Pakistan in the last 3-4 years and also look at all the losses. Compare the performances of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen in wins and losses, and you will get your answer.

The success or failure of Pakistan cricket depends on these three players.

 

[Rana]

Rizwan is no number 4.

Your issue starts here. Sort this out!

 

[topspin]

Rizwan has no offside game. He's probably older than his stated age, hide him down the order if there is no one else good enough behind the stumps.

Babar has no desire to improve. His batting and fitness have both declined. This guy is being picked merely on reputation but the truth he is a fraud.

There is a good player in Abdullah Shafique but unfortunately he is a mental midget in the mould of Asad Shafiq. Unfortunately, this cannot be coached/fixed so he also needs to be discarded as well.

 

[Caved12]

Let me put this as simply as possible: Hesson, Aaqib, and Naqvi will drag this team to an all-time low unless they start listening to what Rizwan, Babar, and Shaheen need, and where they want to play to get this team back on track. These three (Hesson, Aaqib, Naqvi) will be out of a job soon if they don’t wake up and realize this.

Rizwan and Babar must play T20s consistently to stay in touch, find rhythm, and return to form. Give them the space and freedom to approach their batting the way they want. Let them build their innings on their terms. The priority should be getting them back into a mental zone where they can perform at the highest level.

These are players who’ve earned respect through years of service and performances for Pakistan. Now, in one of the toughest phases of their careers, they deserve full support, not sidelining, second-guessing, or disrespect. Back them fully, trust their process, and let them lead from the front to lift this team again.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Unfair to club Shaheen with the other two useless players, he has been contributing despite going missing at crucial stages.

Babar and Rizwan have contributed next to nothing since a while now.

Shaheen has averaged 35 with the ball since the tri-series that took place before the Champions Trophy. If you take out his 4 wicket haul from the 1st ODI, that bowling average rises to 47. He has looked like any other mediocre trundler, so contrary to what you are saying, he is not even turning up at non-crucial stages of the innings.

We need to stop acting like apologists for mediocrity. These kinds of performances are simply unacceptable from someone who doesn't even have the guts to play test cricket and wanted to manage his workload to play important white-ball cricket matches for Pakistan.

I have zero respect for Shaheen as a bowler and a cricketer at this point in time. Oh and btw, he is one of the main reasons why Pakistan lost the last game.

 

[Caved12]

Hesson and Aaqib need to stop gambling on mediocre, bits-and-pieces players who’ve already been given enough chances. Pick a direction and commit to it. If the goal is to groom youngsters on easy tours, do it, but don’t throw senior players under the bus in the process.

You don’t drop your top, experienced players, you involve them. Let them lead from the front and guide the younger guys. That’s how you build a real team. Creating a dressing room where youngsters feel seniors are the problem is toxic and short-sighted.

Cricket isn’t just about talent, it’s about trust, chemistry, and leadership. Until the management understands that, we’re going to keep going in circles. The dressing room atmosphere must foster respect and unity, not division and blame.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

What exactly is Shaheen's role supposed to be in this side? He can't contain runs or take wickets in white-ball. He almost always gets smashed at the death. Pace has dropped considerably. Doesn;t want to play test cricket...

He is playing on reputation like Babar and Rizwan. And you can't even use the excuse that he has been overbowled because he has had plenty of rest after the Champions Trophy, a tournament he missed an important test series to play, and where he also did jacksquat of all.

Maybe it's time for him to pack his bags and go the T20 route. Because either he doesn't care enough, or he isn't good enough. Take your pick.

 

[Major]

Babar and Rizwan being the senior players should had stepped up here. The fact that Nawaz and Talat had to win the first game was embarrassing. It was a chaseable target, and if your senior pros cant chase it against such a team than the writing may be on the wall.

 

[topspin]

We need to stop acting like apologists for mediocrity

With the greatest respect to this poster.

One has to ask, where was this when you were championing Misbah's mediocrity? 0 ODI hundreds throughout his career and a strike rate in the mid 70s during the 2014 calendar year and 2015 World Cup. Was that anything but mediocre to you?

 

[Major]

I thought… I thought… I thought…

He sounds a lot like Mickey Arthur — he speaks a lot but says nothing, and he needs to think less and act more.

If he can’t get Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen — the three best cricketers in Pakistan — back to their best, he is doomed. The success of Pakistan especially in white ball cricket hinges on the performance of these three players.

Its not his fault, more of Rizwans fault.

The problem with every foreign coach from SENA is that they dont go with conditions like Indians do. These pitches requried spinners and Rizwan not once played Abrar and Sufiyan together.

For some reason these guys think that Saim Ayub is the new Muralitharan.

Rizwan's captaincy has been rubbish since the Champions Trophy and Salman Agha isnt any good either. It is always the captains call who plays and who doesnt. Hesson is there to coach the guys not win it for them.

If Babar and Rizwan cant step up, they will need to be dropped from the ODI and T20 side.

The west indies isnt a side we should be losing to, unless we except that the young talent is also garbage and we are garbage team which is why we have to continue with these guys. Both have become a dud.

 

[Rana]

Its not his fault, more of Rizwans fault.

The problem with every foreign coach from SENA is that they dont go with conditions like Indians do. These pitches requried spinners and Rizwan not once played Abrar and Sufiyan together.

For some reason these guys think that Saim Ayub is the new Muralitharan.

Rizwan's captaincy has been rubbish since the Champions Trophy and Salman Agha isnt any good either. It is always the captains call who plays and who doesnt. Hesson is there to coach the guys not win it for them.

If Babar and Rizwan cant step up, they will need to be dropped from the ODI and T20 side.

The west indies isnt a side we should be losing to, unless we except that the young talent is also garbage and we are garbage team which is why we have to continue with these guys. Both have become a dud.

The young guns didn’t lose to Windies

It’s the seniors who bogged them down. Two of Agha’s young troops took down Windies in the first ODI too.

Rizwan clearly is a rubbish leader.

 

[Major]

The young guns didn’t lose to Windies

It’s the seniors who bogged them down. Two of Agha’s young troops took down Windies in the first ODI too.

Rizwan clearly is a rubbish leader.

It isnt Hassans job to winning matches here, if that is happening that only shows how deep the problems are running. If the two seniors cant stand up against West Indies, than there isnt much of career left for them. Might aswell shift the youngsters to the middle order and drop themselves lower or from the team.

They are once again messing with Sahibzada Farhan for God knows what reasons.

Rizwans captaincy was exposed in the Champions Trophy and Babars aswell during the T20 world cup. But Shadab, Agha and Shaheen are no champions either when it comes to captiancy.

All of them are making the same mistakes. Agha i thought might turn out to be good, he also decided to play one spinner and 3 pacers in USA where spinners do better.

 

[Caved12]

I don't think Rizwan has any say in selection matters or even in picking his playing 11. Yes, his captaincy has been poor lately, but sometimes things happen behind the scenes when different forces start working against you. He has already been ousted from the T20 team for the past few series, and there has even been talk floated about removing him as ODI captain just to test the waters, to see how the media, fans, and Rizwan himself react.

The real issue here is Aaqib. He is a politician in all but name. Unfortunately, he is in Naqvi’s good books, largely because of the help he provided in preparing pitches during the home Test series against England. Naqvi, being someone from outside the cricketing world, seems to have been completely convinced that Aaqib knows best. As a result, he has relied heavily on Aaqib’s advice and that has created a huge mess.

It is hard to believe this is the same Rizwan who led Pakistan to an ODI series win against Australia in Australia. He was unbelievably sharp in that series. His field placements, bowling changes, and overall captaincy were spot on. That version of Rizwan showed great tactical awareness and composure under pressure.

This kind of politics can derail anyone, even someone like Rizwan who is a hard worker and mentally tough. He is not an explosive or naturally gifted batter. He digs deep and builds innings. In cricket, it is easy to lose form, especially when all this noise gets into your head. It is a ruthless game, and bouncing back from a slump takes a lot.

With the overload of T20s and barely any ODIs these days, it is easy for a player to lose rhythm. Our players are always slow starters on any tour. It would have been wise to let Rizwan and Babar play those T20s to get some match practice, spend time with the team, and ease back into the setup, rather than keeping them out and expecting them to switch on immediately for the ODI series. That is where Aaqib and Hesson missed a trick.

 

[Caved12]

Just to be clear, I’ve never really liked Hesson as a coach. He’s just okay, not someone who stands out tactically or has the ability to truly gel a team. I really hope he proves me wrong for the sake of our cricket team, but I honestly don’t have much faith in him. I still can’t believe we let Gary Kirsten go for this guy and Aaqib.

 

[pratiktc]

One mystery i never understand his how Babar is still ranked world no.2 in ICC ranking. I guess other players concede points just by skipping matches. Since Nepal's match Babar's stats are

30 matches 938 runs 36.07 average 78.75 strike rate 0 centuries 9 fifties

That is 2 years back.

This is indeed very interesting
Rizwan is ranked 20 and his numbers since Nepal match are
29 inns 1171 runs at 53/83, 2x100, 6x50

He has arguably equal output over this time period of the both and get such disparity in point count (766 vs 606)

So can only conclude that methodology probably never drops numbers from beginning of your career.

 

[Greenstorm]

Its not his fault, more of Rizwans fault.

The problem with every foreign coach from SENA is that they dont go with conditions like Indians do. These pitches requried spinners and Rizwan not once played Abrar and Sufiyan together.

For some reason these guys think that Saim Ayub is the new Muralitharan.

Rizwan's captaincy has been rubbish since the Champions Trophy and Salman Agha isnt any good either. It is always the captains call who plays and who doesnt. Hesson is there to coach the guys not win it for them.

If Babar and Rizwan cant step up, they will need to be dropped from the ODI and T20 side.

The west indies isnt a side we should be losing to, unless we except that the young talent is also garbage and we are garbage team which is why we have to continue with these guys. Both have become a dud.

I doubt that was Rizwan's decision. He played four genuine fast bowlers in Aus and SA.

Hesson has repeatedly said that he believes in allrounders to lengthen the batting so he plays only three genuine bowlers. Issue is that neither Faheem or Talat are allrounders.

 

[Greenstorm]

Hesson was brought into usher us into a new era of white ball cricket. We were supposed to adopt modern approach but instead Hesson has continued with the same script in ODIs. He believes in Hussan Talat as an answer for our middle order !
Asia Cup will be crucial for Hesson. We have a good chance of doing well in T20Is but if we fail, I don't see Hesson keeping his job till 26WC let alone 2027 ODI WC.

 

[JaDed]

I don't think Rizwan has any say in selection matters or even in picking his playing 11. Yes, his captaincy has been poor lately, but sometimes things happen behind the scenes when different forces start working against you. He has already been ousted from the T20 team for the past few series, and there has even been talk floated about removing him as ODI captain just to test the waters, to see how the media, fans, and Rizwan himself react.

The real issue here is Aaqib. He is a politician in all but name. Unfortunately, he is in Naqvi’s good books, largely because of the help he provided in preparing pitches during the home Test series against England. Naqvi, being someone from outside the cricketing world, seems to have been completely convinced that Aaqib knows best. As a result, he has relied heavily on Aaqib’s advice and that has created a huge mess.

It is hard to believe this is the same Rizwan who led Pakistan to an ODI series win against Australia in Australia. He was unbelievably sharp in that series. His field placements, bowling changes, and overall captaincy were spot on. That version of Rizwan showed great tactical awareness and composure under pressure.

This kind of politics can derail anyone, even someone like Rizwan who is a hard worker and mentally tough. He is not an explosive or naturally gifted batter. He digs deep and builds innings. In cricket, it is easy to lose form, especially when all this noise gets into your head. It is a ruthless game, and bouncing back from a slump takes a lot.

With the overload of T20s and barely any ODIs these days, it is easy for a player to lose rhythm. Our players are always slow starters on any tour. It would have been wise to let Rizwan and Babar play those T20s to get some match practice, spend time with the team, and ease back into the setup, rather than keeping them out and expecting them to switch on immediately for the ODI series. That is where Aaqib and Hesson missed a trick.

Very much of a PR piece of Rizwan. Many captains can have a single bilateral series wins.

 

[Major]

I doubt that was Rizwan's decision. He played four genuine fast bowlers in Aus and SA.

Hesson has repeatedly said that he believes in allrounders to lengthen the batting so he plays only three genuine bowlers. Issue is that neither Faheem or Talat are allrounders.

Captain decides the 11. If coach has more say in playing than that means the captain is even more clueless.

 

[Ali Active]

drop babar rizwan from team build odi side like t20s here u go it will fail but eventually it will be good

 

[mominsaigol]

What i dont get is why some players get dropped for no reason while others get extended rides?

1) Abdullah isnt even a 3rd choice opener?

Fakhar should get priority, followed by Farhan, Followed by Saim, Followed by Imam. Abdullah is ironically 100x worse then imam could possibly be.

2) Despite 3 wicket keepers waiting in the wings (Hasebullah, Haris, Rohail Nazir) their hasnt been a singoe effort to replace Rizwan?

Rizzu is 33 years old now? Why isnt their a gear towards finding an eventually replacement?

3) Kamran Ghulam Despite getting critisized is still leagues > Talat, Saud(Odi), Chacha, Niazi in odi etc etc yet he is nowhere to be seen?

 

[Greenstorm]

Captain decides the 11. If coach has more say in playing than that means the captain is even more clueless.

This is it. Rizwan is a rubber stamp. He should have resigned when Aqib and other selectors publicly stated (before tri series in Pakistan) that they will be selecting playing XIs.

 

[Caved12]

Very much of a PR piece of Rizwan. Many captains can have a single bilateral series wins.

Before you type any more rubbish, remember Rizwan has only been captain for a very short time and in that span, he led Pakistan to back-to-back ODI series wins, including a 3-0 whitewash of South Africa in their own backyard after beating Australia. Historically, Pakistan has always struggled to beat those teams on their own turf, so give credit where it’s due. He was equally impressive with the bat, scoring 80 in the 2nd ODI and 53 in the 3rd and flawless as always behind the stumps. Think before typing nonsense.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Selection was messed up... How can you rest Sufiyan in last 2 games. He was your best spinner whenever he played a game.

How Abdullah is still in the team despite his mediocre record and imam and farhan are being treated as nobodies over AB

How Naseem is still there?

why kamran was dropped?

Why talat is there again proving that he is good for nothing.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Shaheen has averaged 35 with the ball since the tri-series that took place before the Champions Trophy. If you take out his 4 wicket haul from the 1st ODI, that bowling average rises to 47. He has looked like any other mediocre trundler, so contrary to what you are saying, he is not even turning up at non-crucial stages of the innings.

We need to stop acting like apologists for mediocrity. These kinds of performances are simply unacceptable from someone who doesn't even have the guts to play test cricket and wanted to manage his workload to play important white-ball cricket matches for Pakistan.

I have zero respect for Shaheen as a bowler and a cricketer at this point in time. Oh and btw, he is one of the main reasons why Pakistan lost the last game.

On one hand, Seales spent 2 years in county cricket improving his bowling while Shaheen has only appeared in t20 leagues.
t20 leagues don't improve a bowler. Bowling spells in 4 day cricket playing for a single team(same set of coaches) for months at a time does. Shaheen simply doesn't have the urge to improve. Same with Naseem.

 

[TheSultan]

I don't think Rizwan has any say in selection matters or even in picking his playing 11. Yes, his captaincy has been poor lately, but sometimes things happen behind the scenes when different forces start working against you. He has already been ousted from the T20 team for the past few series, and there has even been talk floated about removing him as ODI captain just to test the waters, to see how the media, fans, and Rizwan himself react.

The real issue here is Aaqib. He is a politician in all but name. Unfortunately, he is in Naqvi’s good books, largely because of the help he provided in preparing pitches during the home Test series against England. Naqvi, being someone from outside the cricketing world, seems to have been completely convinced that Aaqib knows best. As a result, he has relied heavily on Aaqib’s advice and that has created a huge mess.

It is hard to believe this is the same Rizwan who led Pakistan to an ODI series win against Australia in Australia. He was unbelievably sharp in that series. His field placements, bowling changes, and overall captaincy were spot on. That version of Rizwan showed great tactical awareness and composure under pressure.

This kind of politics can derail anyone, even someone like Rizwan who is a hard worker and mentally tough. He is not an explosive or naturally gifted batter. He digs deep and builds innings. In cricket, it is easy to lose form, especially when all this noise gets into your head. It is a ruthless game, and bouncing back from a slump takes a lot.

With the overload of T20s and barely any ODIs these days, it is easy for a player to lose rhythm. Our players are always slow starters on any tour. It would have been wise to let Rizwan and Babar play those T20s to get some match practice, spend time with the team, and ease back into the setup, rather than keeping them out and expecting them to switch on immediately for the ODI series. That is where Aaqib and Hesson missed a trick.

Damn you’re serious? I thought your last post was superb satire, but damn!

 

[BreadPakoda]

Let me put this as simply as possible: Hesson, Aaqib, and Naqvi will drag this team to an all-time low unless they start listening to what Rizwan, Babar, and Shaheen need, and where they want to play to get this team back on track. These three (Hesson, Aaqib, Naqvi) will be out of a job soon if they don’t wake up and realize this.

Rizwan and Babar must play T20s consistently to stay in touch, find rhythm, and return to form. Give them the space and freedom to approach their batting the way they want. Let them build their innings on their terms. The priority should be getting them back into a mental zone where they can perform at the highest level.

These are players who’ve earned respect through years of service and performances for Pakistan. Now, in one of the toughest phases of their careers, they deserve full support, not sidelining, second-guessing, or disrespect. Back them fully, trust their process, and let them lead from the front to lift this team again.

This is the single worst piece of advice. Letting Rizzu, Babar, and Shaheen run the show will destroy whatever is left in Pakistan Cricket. All 3 are among the most selfish players in international cricket.