Mike Hesson, who recently took charge as Pakistan’s interim Test coach, has clarified that he was not involved in the decision to drop senior players Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq from the Test squad after the first two matches against England, with one game still to play. Pakistan struggled badly with the bat and came under heavy criticism after failing to put up much of a fight in both Tests. The PCB responded with a drastic overhaul, recalling seven players after the Lord’s defeat while also bringing back head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant coach Umar Gul.
Hesson, who is already Pakistan’s white-ball coach, made it clear that the decision to release Rizwan, Agha and Imam had already been taken before he was brought in as interim coach, leaving him unaware of the circumstances behind their omission.
“Look when they (Pakistan Cricket Board) told me if I could manage the side for the final Test, these three players (Rizwan, Agha and Imam) were already released from the squad and (were) on their way home. So, I really don’t know what happened there,” Hesson told a media conference in Birmingham.
Hesson also revealed that he had a say in the changes made to the Test squad after taking charge, explaining that his focus was on finding the right balance and adding more variety to Pakistan’s bowling attack.
“We already had a white-ball camp in Lahore and I had just returned from Japan where the Asian Games are taking place, when I was asked if I could manage the red-ball squad,” he added.
“I decided to make some changes in the squad to get balance into the squad, and my emphasis has been on having a bowling attack which has variety and where we have a couple of bowling all-rounders,” he said.
“Pakistan players more used to a little bit of chaos”
Hesson admitted that the past few days had been challenging for Pakistan’s players amid the constant changes to the squad, but said the team had managed to put the disappointment behind them and remain focused on the third Test.
“The last couple of days have been challenging for being in a hotel with some players coming, some players going and then the arrival of everyone,” Hesson said
“The guys are probably more used to a little bit of chaos than I am. There’s no doubt they have been disappointed, incredibly disappointed. We’ve had to park that and go ‘righto, where to from here?’ They’ve been really good over the past couple of days,” he added.
