(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Mike Hesson Highlights Batting Strike Rate as Key Challenge for Pakistan in T20 Cricket
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, Mike Hesson, has completed a detailed review of the national team’s recent performances, identifying the batting unit’s strike rate and scoring consistency as major areas needing improvement — particularly in T20 Internationals.
During a media interaction at the ongoing training camp ahead of the upcoming series against Bangladesh, the former New Zealand coach addressed the core issues impacting the team’s progress. Hesson emphasized that while strike rate is crucial in T20 cricket, it must be paired with the ability to score a high volume of runs.
“No doubt strike rate is important in T20 cricket,” said Hesson. “But you have to combine it with a volume of runs.”
Over the past few years, Pakistan’s T20I strategy has often come under scrutiny for being too conservative during the middle overs. Although some players maintain decent averages, the team has struggled to keep pace with global trends in aggressive batting.
“There’s a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is,” Hesson noted. “Our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough.”
Hesson, who was brought in to modernize Pakistan’s white-ball cricket, believes the shift in approach is already underway. He pointed to signs of progress in Pakistan’s recent T20I series, where the team adopted a more proactive and attacking batting strategy.
“We certainly made some shifts in that last series to play a more expansive game of cricket and probably catch up with the rest of the world, as that is the way the modern game is,” he added.
According to Hesson, minor adjustments won’t be enough. He stressed the need for a fundamental change in mindset, noting that the team often falls 30 to 40 runs short in key matches — a margin too wide to remain competitive.
“It’s not just a matter of going from 125 to 150,” Hesson explained. “It’s about increasing our overall impact with the bat, because we’re often 30–40 runs short, and that’s something we must address.”
With the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup on the horizon, Hesson’s comments come at a crucial time. Pakistan’s revamped strategy will be put to the test in the upcoming Bangladesh series, which could offer a glimpse into the team’s readiness for the high-stakes tournaments ahead.
If successful, the changes could mark a turning point for Pakistan’s T20I side and reignite hopes of returning to elite form on the global stage.
