KARACHI:
Mike Hesson will complete his contract with the Pakistan team and has no intention of joining the England Test squad.
Recently, British media published a list of potential replacement coaches for the dismissed Test coach Brendon McCullum, which included Hesson’s name.
However, sources close to the Pakistani white-ball coach have confirmed that he is not interested in accepting that role.
His contract runs until next year, and he will remain associated with the Pakistan team. It is worth noting that the ODI World Cup is scheduled for 2027.
After the T20 World Cup, Hesson’s position had come under pressure, but he managed to retain his role.
Currently, he shares an excellent working relationship with Director of High Performance and selector Aaqib Javed, and both are actively planning to improve the team’s performance. The extended white-ball training camp was part of this effort.
Excluding ICC events, Hesson’s statistics as Pakistan’s coach are quite impressive.
Meanwhile, the Test team, under the coaching of SarfarazAhmed, is currently in the West Indies, where a two-match Test series will begin on July 25. After that, the Green Caps will play three Tests in England.
The white-ball team’s next assignment is a three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka in October. According to sources, it may be difficult for Salman Ali Agha to continue as captain, as the team has struggled to achieve consistent victories under his leadership.
Discussions are ongoing regarding a suitable replacement, but since there is still time before the next series, officials are not rushing into a decision.
It is worth mentioning here that Hesson was among multiple prominent candidates shortlisted to replace New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum as the new England Test head coach, a renowned British newspaper reported on Tuesday.
McCullum, who assumed the role in May 2022, was sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday in the aftermath of their 2-1 defeat in the home series against New Zealand, which also saw captain Ben Stokes calling time on his international career.
