Mike Hesson ‘open’ to coaching Pakistan’s Test side full-time

Mike Hesson said that he is “open” to coaching Pakistan’s Test side on a full-time basis should the opportunity come his way, following the visitors’ 3-0 series defeat to England. Hesson, Pakistan’s white-ball coach, was summoned to step in for the third Test in Birmingham after a massive overhaul saw the Pakistan Cricket Board relieve Sarfaraz Ahmed of his coaching duties, besides sending seven players home.

Hesson said that while he hadn’t given the prospect of coaching the Test side much thought, he was not averse to it.

“I haven't even contemplated that at this stage. I've got the Asian Games coming back about a week after I get back, and that's my main focus in terms of the white ball. And then by the time that arrives, I'm sure we would have had some discussions about the Test team going forward,” Hesson told reporters following the Edgbaston Test.

“Yeah, I'll be open to it for sure,” he added. “I love Test cricket, and I think there's enough talent around the system in Pakistan that if we can provide some good direction, we can make some strides forward. But it's certainly not going to happen in a game or two. But I think there's some skill there that I’d certainly be considering looking after.”

Hesson also revealed that he was approached by the England and Wales Cricket Board to succeed Brendon McCullum as their Test coach following the New Zealand series, but that he was firm in sticking with his commitment to Pakistan and seeing them through to next year’s ODI World Cup.

“I was contacted by my agent to say, ‘hey, [there has been] an approach to have a discussion, and my availability’ as I'm sure many people were, and I made it pretty clear that I'd committed to Pakistan,” Hesson said.

“I don't really believe in having a job to get another job. That's not really the way I've ever operated. Most of the positions I've been in, I've been in for five, six years. I sort of see it through and then you have a break and you refresh and try for something else. So that's kind of the way I operate,” he added.

While Pakistan endured a forgettable tour, there were signs of improvement at Edgbaston, scoring 449 in their second innings before reducing England to 0/2 in the first over of their defence. Hesson acknowledged the character shown by the players, who he said were focused on the game despite the dramatic sequence of events leading up to the Test, and a shaky start on the opening day where they lost seven wickets in the first session.

“I think once we arrived in Birmingham, everyone was pretty focused in terms of what lies ahead. I think some of the players have probably gone through that more than perhaps I have, and I think they really adjusted pretty well. Obviously, some players have arrived having played less cricket than others, but the team was very focused.

“I think losing the toss and dealing with some pretty good seam bowling and handing over probably three or four soft ones in the first hour and a half created a little bit of chaos in the changing room. But outside of that, I think the boys were nice and calm. And I was really pleased the way we showed some character the last couple of days. It wasn't perfect, but there were certainly some really good signs,” Hesson said.

Currently at the bottom of the WTC table for the 2025-27 cycle, Pakistan are next scheduled to host Sri Lanka for two Tests in November. New Zealand are also set to tour the country in 2027, the dates for which haven’t been finalised yet.

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