When a team is bundled out for 110 in under 20 overs, fingers are bound to be pointed. But for Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, the blame wasn’t only on the players; it was squarely on the Sher-e-Bangla pitch in Dhaka.
In the opening T20I against Bangladesh, Pakistan’s batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards. From 46 for 5 to 110 all out, the Men in Green looked out of sorts, unsure whether to defend or attack.
They seemed caught in two minds, and Dhaka’s tricky surface didn’t help.
After the match, Hesson didn’t hold back and slammed the pitch.
“I think (the pitch) is not ideal for anybody,” Hesson said. “Teams are trying to prepare for the Asia Cup or the T20 World Cup.”
“It is not acceptable. It is still no excuse for some of the decisions we made with the bat. But this pitch is not up to international standards.”
He admitted that his team misread the conditions, especially after Fakhar Zaman’s early flourish gave them a false sense of security.
“We got off to a little bit of a flyer… which gave us a false indication of how the pitch was behaving,” he added.
The Run-Outs and the Risk
What made matters worse were the three run-outs. On a surface already playing tricks, those were moments Pakistan simply couldn’t afford.
Hesson called out the poor shot selection, especially in the middle overs when the ball started to grip, nip, and bounce.
“We failed to assess the risk. A couple of run-outs didn’t help either,” he said.
Still, he wasn’t in the mood to fully shield his players. While the pitch was a talking point, he stressed that better decision-making could have changed the outcome.
Bangladesh Players Disagree
Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon, who scored a match-winning half-century, wasn’t buying the pitch excuse.
“We didn’t feel (it was a bad pitch) as we chased it down in less than 16 overs,” Emon said. “We could have scored 150-160 if we batted the full 20 overs… We adjusted better than them.”
Fair point. Bangladesh chased the target inside 16 overs, making Pakistan’s struggles look worse than they probably were.
A Bigger Concern Than Just One Match
Hesson’s frustration wasn’t just about one bad day at the office. His concern goes deeper, about player development, preparation for global events like the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, and the overall standard of cricket.
“You need good cricket wickets to develop cricketers. There was some good wickets during the BPL, to be fair. It is not up to the standard when international cricket is being played,” he said.
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