Pakistan's white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has responded to criticism over his tenure and Pakistan's recent performances. Hesson rejected claims that the team is in decline, pointing out that the Men in Green won every match in last year's Asia Cup except the one against archrivals India.
The Men in Green lost to India in the three matches, including the final, during the Asia Cup 2025. It was the first time India and Pakistan played against each other in a final. The head coach recently oversaw a training camp for Pakistan's red-ball and white-ball squads at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
We Won Every Game Except Against India - Mike Hesson
Mike Hesson said that Pakistan's progress should not be judged only by matches against India. Speaking to Cricinfo, the head coach said Pakistan won every match in last year's Asia Cup except the games against India, showing that the team has improved.
"In the Asia Cup last year, for example, we won every game except against India. The reality is every single team in the world is struggling to beat India at the moment. Every team, not just Pakistan. 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."
We Started Winning More Regular Games - Mike Hesson
Mike Hesson said that Pakistan's improvement can be seen in their recent results. He stated that the team first needed to become more consistent before expecting success in major ICC tournaments.
"At the T20 World Cup, we lost to England in the Super 8 off the back of a Harry Brook hundred and a very tight game outside of that. We won every [other] game except India. From 2023-2025, we didn't make it out of the pool in ICC events," Mike Hesson stated.
"So you can't go from eighth in the world to all of a sudden competing unless you start winning more regular games of cricket. And for us to go from winning 20-odd per cent to close to three-quarters of our games in a year is significant."
Since Hesson took charge, Pakistan have shown improvement in white-ball cricket. The team has won two T20I tri-series and lost only one of its six bilateral T20I series.
India Remained Pakistan's Biggest Challenge
Pakistan have been struggling against India in World Cups and Asia Cups. The two sides met three times during the 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and India won all three matches.
India defeated Pakistan in the group stage, the Super Fours, and the final to win their ninth Asia Cup title. The defeats again highlighted the gap between the two teams in high-pressure matches.
Pakistan looked set for a big total in the final after reaching 113/1, but collapsed to 146 all out. India recovered from an early setback and chased the target in 19.4 overs, completing another comfortable victory over their rivals.
Hesson recently said the team cannot expect to win an ICC title overnight after years of inconsistent performances. He added that long-term success comes through steady improvement and consistent results.
