Mike Hesson questions pitch standards after Pakistan lose T20I opener vs Bangladesh

Pakistan suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the first T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. After the match, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson expressed his dissatisfaction with the pitch conditions, calling it “not acceptable” for international cricket.

Batting first, Pakistan were bowled out for just 110 runs in 19.3 overs, struggling throughout their innings. Hesson admitted that his batters did not assess the pitch well enough, but he strongly criticised the surface.

“I think (the pitch) is not ideal for anybody. Teams are trying to prepare for the Asia Cup or the (T20) World Cup. It is not acceptable. It is still no excuse for some of the decisions we made with the bat. But this pitch is not up to international standards,” Hesson said after the match.

Most of Pakistan’s top-order batters were dismissed trying big shots, and at one stage, the team slumped to 46/5. Hesson pointed to Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive start as misleading.

“We got off to a little bit of a flyer. Fakhar Zaman played four or five shots. It gave us a false indication about how the surface was playing,” Hesson explained.

“We didn't help ourselves through the middle. We chose some poor options. When the ball started to nip through, and bounced steeply, we probably didn't assess that it was a bit more challenging to play high-risk shots. Couple of run-outs also didn't help,” he added.

Hesson also pointed out that such pitches are not helpful for Bangladesh either, especially when preparing for major international assignments away from home.

“You need good cricket wickets to develop cricketers. There was some good wickets during the BPL, to be fair. It is not up to the standard when international cricket is being played. I don't think it helps them when they leave Bangladesh,” he said.

“But I think also batting first in these situations is challenging. When you aren't quite sure whether 100 or 130 or 150 is good enough. I don't think (the pitch) is good for anybody. It still doesn't take away the fact that you have to perform better in any surface. We will look at it as a team,” Hesson concluded.

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