Rawalpindi (Sports Desk): Pakistan cricket team head coach Mike Hesson has expressed satisfaction with the players’ overall performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka, saying that despite losing the toss and 140 overs being lost due to bad weather, Pakistan remained in control for most parts of the match.
Speaking at a press conference at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Mike Hesson said batting under overcast conditions and poor light after losing the toss was not easy. However, the players performed well despite the difficult circumstances. He praised the performances of young cricketers, including Saqib Khan, who took 7 wickets on his Test debut.
He said Tayyab Arif batted well in the first innings, while Muhammad Taha successfully handled the pressure in both innings. Arafat Minhas's half-century and Saqib Khan's outstanding bowling were also commendable.
The head coach also praised wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori, saying he took 6 catches, maintained a high standard of wicketkeeping behind the stumps and scored important runs with the bat.
Responding to a question about Saud Shakeel repeatedly reaching close to 90 runs without converting his scores into centuries, Mike Hesson said he was satisfied with the batter's performance. He added that reaching 90 runs was also a good batting effort and that he did not consider it a problem, as pitch conditions and match circumstances sometimes influence a batter's performance.
Regarding Babar Azam, Hesson said that he had been scoring runs at an average of more than 50 in Test cricket this year. Among players who had played more than 10 innings, Babar had the highest average, so it would not be appropriate to describe his performance as a problem.
Mike Hesson further said that the use of the pink ball could also be considered for hosting Test matches in Pakistan in the future.