Hesson sees 'big improvement' in Pakistan team under his coaching

SHARJAH: Mike Hesson, white-ball head coach of Pakistan men’s cricket team, on Saturday expressed satisfaction with the Green Shirts’ performance since he assumed the role.

Hesson, who served as New Zealand’s head coach from 2012 to 2018, was appointed Pakistan head coach in May this year after his stints with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United.

His first assignment as Pakistan head coach was a three-match home T20I series against Bangladesh, which the Green Shirts clean swept 3-0.

The team then toured Bangladesh for as many T20Is, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat, before securing an away series triumph over West Indies last month.

The Green Shirts are currently participating in the T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) and have qualified for the final after finishing at the top of the standings with six points in four matches, losing only one game against Afghanistan, whom they will face in the final on Sunday.

With the two teams tied with one victory each, Hesson expressed his hope for an entertaining match, also claiming that the Pakistan team had made a ‘big improvement’ during his reign, winning nine out of 13 T20Is since he took over.

“Pakistan are growing nicely as a team certainly not perfect yet but having won 9 of our 13 T20I’s since I’ve come onboard, it’s certainly a big improvement from where we were,” Hesson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Should be a cracking game between two rival nations,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that the ongoing tri-series serves as the dress rehearsal for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to get underway on September 9 with the curtain raiser between Afghanistan and Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The Green Shirts, however, will start their campaign against Oman on September 12 before taking on arch-rivals India on September 14.