Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has openly talked about Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s weaknesses in T20Is. In the pre-match press conference ahead of the Oman clash, he was asked by a reporter about having the courage to talk about their shortcomings openly several times.
Pakistan will start their campaign in the Asia Cup today with the match against Oman at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. For the first time since 2017, they are featuring in the multination tournament without Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who were the fulcrum of their batting line-up not long ago. However, consecutive poor showings in ICC events have led the Pakistan Cricket Board, along with head coach Mike Hesson, to takeย a tough decision to leave them out.
Hesson has opened up about their shortcomings in the pressers multiple times, stating that the much-famed duo must work on their strike-rates in the shortest format. Ahead of Pakistan’s clash against Oman, the head coach attended the press conference and was asked by a reporter about getting the courage to talk about Babar and Rizwan’s T20 shortcomings. Hesson, at first, was taken aback by the question, but later he came up with a measured response.
He noted that there is no agenda against the two superstars of Pakistan cricket and he has been honest about the assessment of senior players in the team. “Being honest about your assessment of players is pretty important.ย Coming from a place where you have no agenda is also very important. Looking at things objectively is important. I haven’t talked about anyone’s frailties.
“What I have alluded to is the way the modern game is played and the strike rates required, particularly in good conditions. All players ask for from coaches is to be honest with them. That is the responsibility you’ve got. Just because you like a player or have a relationship with a player, it doesn’t mean you can’t be honest,” Hesson said.
Mike Hesson confident of Pakistan’s batting coming good
Mike Hesson was surprised with the question about the confidence in Pakistan’s batting line-up. He pointed out that the team is coming into the Asia Cup after tackling arguably the best spin bowling line-up (of Afghanistan) in the world. “I don’t know where that has come from.ย We have played against Rashid [Khan] and Noor [Ahmed].
“We have played against possibly the best wrist-spin attack in the world [in the tri-series final on Sunday] on a [Sharjah] surface that has spun square and managed to score 75 more runs than the opposition. I’m not sure where that has come from,” Hesson added.
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