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Addressing the mounting scrutiny over his tenure and the squad’s recent outings, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson firmly dismissed the narrative that the national team is on a downward trajectory. To counter the critics, Hesson highlighted Pakistan’s highly competitive run in last year’s Asia Cup, emphasizing that the Men in Green secured victories in every single fixture of the tournament outside of their encounters with archrivals India.
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India's dominance over Pakistan is for real, feels Mike Hesson
The historical context of that tournament, however, remains a focal point for fans, as Pakistan suffered three distinct defeats to India during the 2025 Asia Cup, including a high-stakes showdown in the final. This marked the historic first time the two powerhouse nations clashed in the final of that specific tournament. Looking to bridge the gap and recalibrate the nation's cricketing fortunes, Hesson recently spearheaded a comprehensive training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, bringing together both the red-ball and white-ball training squads.
In an interview with Cricinfo, Hesson argued that evaluating Pakistan’s overall progress solely through the lens of the India rivalry is an unfair metric. He reiterated that their ability to defeat every other opponent in the Asia Cup serves as tangible proof of the squad's growth and structural improvement, urging critics to look at the broader picture rather than obsessing over a singular opponent.
Conceding the current reality of world cricket, Hesson noted that Pakistan is hardly alone in their struggles against their neighbors, stating that virtually every international team is finding it exceptionally difficult to get the better of India right now. While acknowledging that Pakistan's success is traditionally, and perhaps unfairly—measured by how they fair against India, the head coach candidly admitted that the Indian team currently stands alone at the pinnacle of the sport, calling them the best team in the world "by a mile."
"Rightly or wrongly, Pakistan are gauged by how they perform against India. And at the moment, India is not only the best team; they're the best team by a mile," Hesson said.
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson highlighted the squad's tangible improvement by pointing toward their increasingly steady results. In his view, expecting immediate silverware at major ICC events is unrealistic without first establishing a baseline of reliability. He stated that the foundational step for the team is to master the art of winning regular bilateral cricket matches consistently before they can legitimately contend for global titles.
Reflecting on their recent campaign, Hesson pointed to T20 World Cup as a sign of competitive growth. He noted that Pakistan's Super 8 elimination came down to a razor-sharp contest against England, tilted only by a spectacular century from Harry Brook. Outside of that narrow defeat and their losses to India, the team successfully won every other match on their schedule. Hesson contrasted this with the bleak period between 2023 and 2025, where Pakistan consistently failed to even advance past the group stages of ICC tournaments.
Hesson argued that a team cannot magically leap from the bottom half of the world rankings straight into championship contention overnight without intermediate progress. He defended the current trajectory by highlighting a massive statistical turnaround, noting that Pakistan has transitioned from a dismal win rate of around 20% to winning nearly three-quarters of their matches over the course of a year—a shift he views as a highly significant step forward.
Signs of revival under Hesson's guidance
Under the stewardship of Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s white-ball fortunes have witnessed a clear upward trajectory. The squad's newfound competitiveness in the shorter formats is reflected in their recent silverware, having clinched two separate T20I tri-series titles. Furthermore, their resilience in bilateral cricket has been highly impressive, with the Men in Green suffering just a single series defeat across their last six T20I bilateral assignments.
Despite these positive strides against other international sides, India remains an insurmountable hurdle for Pakistan on the big stage. The historical psychological barrier at World Cups and Asia Cups persisted during the 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, where the archrivals faced off three times. Unfortunately for Pakistan, India asserted complete dominance by sweeping all three encounters, exposing a lingering performance gap when the stakes are highest.
India’s path to their ninth Asia Cup crown was built entirely on systematically dismantling Pakistan at every stage of the tournament—first in the group phase, then in the Super Fours, and ultimately in the championship match. The final was particularly agonizing for Pakistan fans; after a commanding start that saw the team cruising at 113 for the loss of just one wicket, a catastrophic batting collapse saw them lose nine wickets for just 33 runs, folding for a meager 146. Despite early jitters in their response, the Indian batters composed themselves to chase down the target in 19.4 overs, securing yet another comprehensive victory.
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