Mike Hesson Appointed as Pakistan’s White-Ball Head Coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have officially appointed Mike Hesson the former New Zealand head coach as the head coach for white-ball teams of Pakistan. His work will start on 26 May, before a hectic time on the cricket field with a build-up of international matches and ICC titles.

This strategic move is a new dawn for Pakistan’s One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) sides. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced the decision, while having full confidence in Hesson abilities to shape and steer the national white ball teams.

Why Mike Hesson?

Mike Hesson is known in the world of international cricket to be tactically astute, calm, and a wizard at team-building. His coaching career got its own momentum particularly when he was with New Zealand, where he played a role in turning around the Black Caps to the most competitive teams in the world.

New Zealand made its way to the finals of the 2015 World Cup under the leadership of Hesson which is a testament to the ability to lead teams through high-pressured elite-level competitions. He also has a reputation for grooming talent and building united squads that are able to adapt from one cricketing challenge to another.

PCB’s Vision for Pakistan White-Ball Teams

According to PCB, this appointment forms part of a bigger picture in which the performance of the country in the limited-over cricket could be improved. With T20 World Cup and a lot of meaningful bilateral series around the corner, the board finds Hesson as the person who could bring tactical familiarity and player confidence to the fore.

Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said during the press meet up, “Mike Hesson was chosen after a thoughtful review.” His record, especially in white-ball cricket, is saying a lot. We are sure he can bring the discipline and that Pakistan currently requires.

Coaching Style: Calm, Calculated, and Player-Focused

The ability of Hesson to pour cool nerves on the playing field is one of his strengths. Players who have worked with him before say that he is nice, he is strategic and calm under pressure. These are traits which make him a suitable person for the high demands of Pakistani cricket.

He focuses on:

•           Data-driven strategies

•           Constructing a dressing room that is mentally strong

• Development of bench strength and emergence of the talent

•           Creating a clarity of roles of the players in the squad.

His strategies are likely to solve some of Pakistan’s most recent problems with inconsistency of performance in middle overs, and disappointing performance in crucial matches.

A Timely Move Before Major Tournaments

This appointment has come at an important juncture when major ICC events are in the horizon such as the T20 World Cup. Pakistan has had a mixed bag of results with white-ball cricket over the last number of years, where moments of brilliance were followed by poor execution and planning.

The coming of Mike Hesson is at the right time, at a point when Pakistan needs a stable figurehead and a new international insight. His exposure to coaching against and with the best of sides including India, Australia and England will come in handy in creating an all around game plan.

Reactions from Players and Fans

This has received a positive reaction from the cricket community after his appointment. The move has been received with thumping approval from fans on social media sites as it appears to be a move toward the long-term planning and strategic management. Some of the cricketers present and past have also hailed the PCB’s decision to hire Hesson, with them describing him as a “thinking coach” who could help put order in the chaos that is the Pakistani setup at times.

Players have been excited at the opportunity to work under a mentor of international repute. Hesson’s structured training modules and mental preparation guidelines might be helpful for the young talents in particular.

Hesson’s Past Success in Numbers

In order to demonstrate his credibility, the following is a short account of Mike Hesson’s record:

•           Coached New Zealand from 2012 to 2018

•           Led NZ to 2015 World Cup Final.

•           Played a role in the creation of starts such as Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, and Martin Guptill

•           Kept New Zealand’s constant standings in white-ball formats during his time of service

•           Worked as the Director for Cricket Operations for IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore

His ability to form a game plan through analysis, especially during stressful scenarios, has been attributed with making New Zealand become a class team, globally, in the white-ball formats.

Challenges Ahead for Hesson

In spite of the optimism, Hesson has so many challenges in his new role;

•           Adding some order to Pakistan’s fickle white-ball displays.

•           Handling player rotations and workload during a hectic-filled schedule

•           Matching domestic talent pipelines with international expectation

•           Defining roles of players in ODI and T20 formats.

•           To ensure the fitness and fielding standards are at par with global standards

But with a strong backing system and power received from PCB, Hesson can actually be the leader that Pakistan required at this precarious situation.

Conclusion: A Promising Start to a New Chapter

The appointment of Mike Hesson as white-ball head coach of Pakistan is a decent start for the cricketing dreams of the country. His peaceful command of the team and analytical as well as international experience gives rise to the hope in both fans and analyses for a less impulsive, more disciplined, consistent, and competitive team to represent Pakistan on the world’s stage.

When Hesson takes over charge on May 26, all eyes will be on how fast he will be able to adapt and change team culture. If he succeeds, then his term might completely change Pakistan’s attitude towards ODI and T20 cricket for decades.