 "Pakistan's white-ball coach Mike Hesson has been accused of favouritism. PCB")
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has strongly criticised the national team’s white-ball head coach, Mike Hesson, amid poor results in the ODI series against West Indies . Basit believes that Hesson is making too many changes to the playing XI and this is hurting the team. His comments came after the loss in the 2nd ODI on Sunday, August 10.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit said that constant changes break the players’ confidence, which is why they are unable to perform against top sides. He also alleged that Hesson was showing favouritism and picking players based on personal preferences, especially those from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Islamabad United.
“In my opinion, our head coach, Mike Hesson, should act as a helper for Pakistan cricket, not as a father figure making changes every time — sometimes two, sometimes three — just like at Islamabad United. And do you know what the answer will be? ‘We’re building a team for big events,’” Basit Ali was quoted as saying by Geo TV.
“The real issue in Pakistan’s team is the lack of confidence. If you don’t give players confidence and keep making changes like this, then I think they’ll only perform well against a team like Nepal. At the international level, self-belief and confidence are essential — and that’s exactly what’s missing,” he added.
Pakistan suffer historic loss
Pakistan had a horrible day in the third ODI against the West Indies as they were all out for just 92 runs while chasing 295. They lost the match by 202 runs and also suffered their first ODI series loss to West Indies in 34 years. It was also the first time in seven years that Pakistan were bowled out for under 100 runs in an ODI.
The last time this happened was in 2018 against New Zealand in Dunedin, when they managed only 74. In total, this is the 10th time in Pakistan’s ODI history that they have scored less than 100. Jayden Seales picked up six wickets for just 18 runs as he demolished Pakistan’s batting with the new ball.