Pakistan cricket team is struggling from quite long time now, but the Shaheens have done well in bits and pieces in T20I cricket, reaching the semi-final of 2021 World Cup, 2022 WC final, 2022 Men’s T20 Asia Cup final, then failed in 2024 T20 WC but now have made a comeback under the leadership of new head coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha by reaching the final of Asia Cup final again in limited overs this year.
However, Pakistani fans and media are criticising captain Agha and Hesson for failing to win a trophy. Some cricket experts are also criticising the head coach for not having been an international cricketer.
But is that really true? Is Hesson actually a mediocre coach? Let’s take a closer look at Pakistan’s head coach, Mike Hesson’s career to find out.
Mike Hesson’s Early life and cricket career:
Mike Hesson was born on October 30, 1974, in Dunedin, New Zealand. He played cricket for Otago age-group teams, aiming to be an opening batter. However, it was during his club cricket days that a severe back injury in his early twenties cut short his playing career and pushed him towards coaching at a young age.
First coaching stint of Mike Hesson:
Hesson’s first breakthrough came at Otago in 2001, where he spent 15 years, including a seven-year apprenticeship as Director of Coaching, before becoming a head coach of the team.
He transformed the struggling team into a competitive one, guiding them to a 2007-08 domestic one-day title, which was their first in 20 years, followed by a T20 triumph in 2009. This got him a role in the New Zealand A team.
Mike Hesson’s International coaching career:
Stint with Kenya:
Mike Hesson’s first international assignment came with Kenya after the 2011 ICC One Day International (ODI) World Cup.
However, just after 11 months, Hesson resigned as head coach of the Kenya cricket team, citing security issues after his family was targeted in an attempted carjacking and a grenade exploded near their house in Nairobi.
Following such a bitter experience in Kenya, Hesson did not yet harbour resentment toward his experience.
“I loved it and loved the players – a really good group of guys, really keen to get better. It’s a struggle in terms of facilities, and there’s quite a small playing group, so you had to make the most of everything you had and had to be adaptable,” Hesson said.
Mike Hesson as New Zealand head coach:
Hesson was appointed as New Zealand’s head coach in July 2012, succeeding John Wright. His spell with the Kiwis began with controversy when he removed Ross Taylor as captain and appointed Brendon McCullum as the new team leader.
Mike Hesson termed the decision “tough” and said that when you are in a job like that, you have to make such decisions.
“When you’re in a job like this you have to make some really tough decisions. As long as you can refer back and make sure that whatever decision you made was in the best interests of the team, then it’s far easier to justify,” Hesson said.
Under Hesson and McCullum, New Zealand started nervously, including a 2-0 Test series loss to South Africa. Still, they reshaped the country’s cricket, bringing a positive, aggressive, and team-first culture that paid off later in the future.
The period from 2014 to 2016 was the peak years of the Kiwi team under Hesson, in which they beat some top teams and reached their first final of the ICC World Cup in 2015.
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After McCullum’s retirement in 2016, Mike Hesson continued to guide New Zealand towards success under the captaincy of Kane Williamson, improving their home and away record.
Mike Hesson resigned as head coach in mid-2018, citing family reasons, ending the longest run by any New Zealand coach at that time, spanning six years.
“This job requires 100 per cent commitment and is all consuming,” said Hesson in a statement while making his decision public.
“I know what’s required over the next 12 months, but if I’m honest, I don’t feel I have the capacity to give the job what it deserves.
“NZC, in particular David White [the NZC Chief Executive] and the board, have given me incredible support, including flexibility and options. But the idea of missing a match, a tour or a format, as has been proposed at different times, has never sat well with me.”
New Zealand won 21 Tests and lost 19 for a total of 53 under Hesson’s coaching. In ODIs, his record stands at 65 wins and 46 defeats in 119 matches. As a coach, he has led the Kiwis to 30 wins and 24 losses in 59 Twenty20 Internationals.
Mike Hesson as Pakistan coach:
Mike Hesson was appointed as Pakistan’s head coach for the ODI and T20I formats in May 2026 by PCB. The decision was followed by the resignation of Gary Kirsten in October 2023 due to differences with the Cricket Board.
Hesson’s first assignment was the Bangladesh tour to Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in May-June, which the Green Shirts won by 3-0.
Pakistan then toured Bangladesh, where they were beaten by the Tigers 2-1.
Green Shirts also won a T20I series in the West Indies by 2-1 in July-August and lost the ODI series 2-1.
Mike Hesson’s latest assignments were in the United Arab Emirates, where Pakistan won a Tri-Nation T20I series, featuring Afghanistan and the hosts UAE.
Green Shirts defeated the Afghan team in the final to clinch the series and also played in the final of the T20 Asia Cup 2025 but lost three times to arch-rivals India, including the decider.
Mike Hesson’s League Cricket experience:
Mike Hesson has also served as the Director of Cricket for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League from 2019 to 2023, where his role was praised by the fans and pundits, and made the side consistent in terms of qualifying for the playoffs.
He then moved to the Pakistan Super League in 2024, where he coached Islamabad United and made them champions in his debut season, and lost in the playoff stage of the 2025 season.
If we look at the result of the Pakistan team under Mike Hesson, he has done well in reshaping the team and helping them reach the final of the Asia Cup 2025. Despite this, his real test will be to end the trophy drought for Pakistan. A team that has reached the finals and semi-finals of several tournaments in the past couple of years, but has yet to succeed in clinching the silverware.
READ: Shaheen Afridi vs Mohammad Amir: Asia Cup comparison ft. stats
