Mike Hesson ready to lead Pakistan’s Test team - Dawn

Pakistan’s interim head coach Mike Hesson said in Birmingham, England, that he is ready to take charge of the team in Test cricket on a permanent basis, combining the role with his work with the national side in limited-overs formats. As Dawn reports, the New Zealand specialist believes Pakistan has enough talented players to make progress in the longest format of the game.

Hesson spoke after Pakistan’s eight-wicket defeat to England in the third Test at Edgbaston. The result secured a 3-0 series victory for England. The coach noted that the team’s progress would not come in one or two matches.

Decision on the position

Hesson took on the duties of interim coach of the Test team less than two weeks earlier after the Pakistan Cricket Board removed Sarfaraz Ahmed following the match at Lord’s that guaranteed England victory in the series. According to Hesson, no decision has yet been made regarding his future with the Test side.

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The coach named the Asian Games, due to take place around a week after his return, as his immediate priority. He also said that England had made preliminary contact with his agent when looking for a replacement for Brendon McCullum. However, that offer did not progress because Hesson had committed to working with Pakistan’s team in limited-overs formats until the 2027 World Cup.

Problems of the Test team

Hesson said Pakistan’s Test team’s difficulties were not limited to the series against England and had been accumulating over the past one or two years. In his view, the team should pay more attention to the basic details of the game and select cricketers not only based on the number of runs scored or wickets taken, but also on the skills needed for Test cricket, particularly for playing against fast bowlers.

In the first innings of the third Test, Pakistan, having chosen to bat first, were dismissed for 133 runs. In the second innings, the team recovered from 2-2 to score 450 runs, but England successfully reached the target. Pakistan’s next Test series will be a two-match home contest against Sri Lanka in November.

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