Hesson Confirms Role in Finalizing National Team Squad

Mike Hesson, the head coach for Pakistan’s men’s limited-overs cricket teams, affirmed on Thursday that he and the captain have the final say in selecting the 15-member squad.

During a media interaction at the white-ball and pre-Bangladesh series camp, Hesson elucidated his contribution to the national team’s selection process.

“I am part of the selection process. The selectors initially propose a group of 20 players, and then the captain and I finalize the 15-member squad for the chairman’s approval,” Hesson stated.

Mike Hesson’s involvement in the selection panel signifies a change in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s approach. Previously, Gary Kirsten, the former full-time white-ball head coach, was excluded from this process, which ultimately led to his resignation.

“Those few months were challenging. I quickly understood that my influence would be minimal. Once I was removed from selection duties and asked to manage a team without being able to shape it, it became difficult to positively impact the group,” Kirsten commented in an interview.

Kirsten assumed the role of Pakistan’s white-ball coach in April 2024, concurrently with Jason Gillespie’s appointment as Test coach.

However, their tenures were prematurely curtailed. Kirsten resigned after six months, shortly after the PCB announced squads for the ODI and T20I tours of Australia and Zimbabwe—without involving him or Gillespie in the selection process.

Gillespie also resigned before the South Africa Test series in December, reportedly disappointed after the board dismissed high-performance coach Tim Nielsen. He later expressed that the experience left a “sour taste” in his coaching career.