Hesson Steps In as Interim Pakistan Test Coach Amid Squad Turmoil Ahead of Third Test

Hesson, who confirmed his interim status, described the whirlwind start to his tenure but remained focused on preparing for the upcoming third Test at Edgbaston.

“I’m coming in at the moment as interim,” Hesson stated at a press conference in Birmingham following Pakistan’s training session on Friday morning. “Things have obviously happened very quickly. I was actually just in Japan preparing for the Asian Games. I was back in Lahore and then as I’ve said I was brought over here relatively quickly because changes were going to take place. I was asked to be part of that. We pulled together things as quickly as we could.”

The rushed nature of his appointment meant several key decisions had already been finalized before Hesson’s arrival. Notably, Salman Ali Agha—a player with whom Hesson shares a strong rapport from his role as T20I captain—was among those released from the squad, along with Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq.

“I don’t know the details of why they’ve been removed. I’ve read what you guys have read, I’ve heard those things. I think Salman Ali Agha has been one of the best players for the last couple of years. He’s had probably three poor Tests, but he’s a fine player. And I think he’s obviously disappointed to not be involved. The other two were removed before I was involved.

“Up until now, I haven’t been involved in red-ball cricket [in Pakistan] at all, so I’m not part of the selection panel. I’m part of the white-ball selection panel. When this side was selected for this tour I had no involvement at all. When I took over there were three players that had already left the squad, with Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, and Salman Ali Agha.

“From there it was a matter of trying to find a balanced squad for us for the third Test. Obviously, we needed to make changes anyway. And we needed to find a balance that gives us a bowling attack with the best chance to compete in these conditions. That was the starting point.”

One of the more surprising omissions was that of spinner Ali Usman, who had delivered standout performances including a five-wicket haul in the warm-up match and another in the first Test at Leeds—making him the first visiting spinner since 1972 to achieve the feat twice in a single series. Despite his efforts, Hesson explained that the conditions in England made it challenging to justify including a non-batting finger-spinner in the lineup.

“Ali Usman is a quality bowler,” Hesson said. “But you’ve seen the conditions over here in the UK. The ability to play a finger-spinner in a playing XI in England at this time of year, who doesn’t bat, is unlikely. In different conditions around the world he could well still be in the mix moving forward. But over here, we can’t carry a finger-spinner that’s going to bowl two overs an innings, who can’t contribute either with bat or in the field.”

Hesson maintained a tightly focused approach, avoiding deeper commentary on the controversy surrounding the squad shake-up. Instead, his emphasis remained squarely on the immediate challenge ahead—the third Test as Pakistan seeks to recover from a difficult start to the series.

“We worry about things we can actually control and we prepare as well as we can,” he said. “We know what we’re going to face and some players have had a modicum of success during those two Tests that they can draw on, and those that haven’t have obviously got to make some shifts. There are some fresh faces as well, some haven’t even arrived yet, they arrived today. And that will bring plenty of energy to the group and excitement. And a bit of variety to our bowling attack, which I think is really important for us moving forward.”

While acknowledging the emotional toll on players and staff, Hesson emphasized unity and resilience. Reports indicated some players were informed of their departure only after public announcements, adding to the tension within the camp.

“It was a really difficult situation for everybody, for those coming in, those leaving,” he said. “I don’t think anyone wants these kinds of things to happen in the middle of a series, clearly not. It’s been an unfortunate situation, and my focus is very much on where to from here. I’m not going to dig too deep into that at the moment, I’m pretty much focused on what lies ahead, and if we’re able to make some good strides this week, then that’s going to be a good start.”

Danyal Rasool is Cricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000

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