Mike Hesson

Hesson’s Coaching Philosophy for Pakistan White-Ball Cricket

Pakistan’s new white-ball coach Mike Hesson has made it clear he is focused on building a team of multi-skilled cricketers, rather than relying on specialist batters, which he calls “outdated” in modern T20 cricket. In a recent PCB official interview, Hesson emphasized the need for tactical flexibility, saying,

β€œπ’€π’π’– 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 π’Žπ’–π’π’•π’Š-π’”π’Œπ’Šπ’π’π’†π’…. 𝑨 π’•π’†π’‚π’Ž 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 6-8 π’ƒπ’π’˜π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’π’‘π’•π’Šπ’π’π’”.”

The approach was visible in Pakistan’s 3-0 T20I series win against Bangladesh, where the team used up to eight bowlers, reflecting the kind of fearless cricket approach Mike wants.

Rebuilding Team Culture and Fitness Standards

Emphasis on Fielding and Accountability

Drawing inspiration from the Mickey Arthur era (2016–2018), Hesson stressed reviving strict fitness standards in Pakistan cricket, particularly fielding in white-ball cricket. β€œThere’s no room for players who can’t contribute in the field,” he said, echoing past efforts by Steve Rixon that once made Pakistan a world-class fielding side.

Hesson’s coaching philosophy includes direct communication with players left out of the squad, including the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan. He clarified: β€œThe door is not shut on anybody.”

Culture Over Milestones

Team-First Mentality

In what appeared to be a message to current and aspiring players, Hesson stated:

β€œπ‘°π’‡ π’šπ’π’–β€™π’“π’† π’ƒπ’‚π’•π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’†π’”π’•π’π’π’†π’” π’˜π’‰π’Šπ’π’† 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’•π’†π’‚π’Ž 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 14 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 π’‘π’π’‚π’šπ’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒐 π’˜π’Šπ’, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔.”

As he aims to implement long-term change, Mike highlighted that results may not be instant, but alignment with the NCA, selectors, and senior players is crucial. He concluded,

β€œπ‘Ύπ’‰π’Šπ’•π’†-𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 π’„π’“π’Šπ’„π’Œπ’†π’• π’Šπ’ π‘·π’‚π’Œπ’Šπ’”π’•π’‚π’ π’Šπ’” π’†π’—π’π’π’—π’Šπ’π’ˆ, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’˜π’†β€™π’“π’† π’ƒπ’–π’Šπ’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 π’‘π’Šπ’π’π’‚π’„π’π’† 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅.”

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Defends Karun Nair’s Selection for England Test Series

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