Hesson outlines Babar and Afridi’s path back to T20 squad

LAHORE: Pakistan’s new white ball coach, Mike Hesson, outlined the path that Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi will need to walk in order to make their return to the T20 side.

After falling out of favour with selectors, likely due to poor performances in the most recent Champions Trophy, Babar and Shaheen were notably absent from the side that swept Bangladesh last month in the three-match T20 series.

In regards to Babar, Hesson stated that he is battling for a top-order spot against Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub. He also dismissed speculation that Babar was being considered as a wicket-keeping option.

“Not sure where that came from, but I have heard that speculation. Babar is competing for one of the opening positions at the moment. But obviously we have Fakhar and Siam in those two roles at the moment, so he’s competing for that.”

Hesson pointed to Babar’s strike rate, which is lower than both Fakhar and Zaman’s, as one area of necessary improvement.

“There’s a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough.”

Despite the criticism, Hesson was confident that Babar would be able to make the necessary improvements and that he’s already begun to tweak his game.

Also read: Lara said I should have gone for his record: Mulder

“Babar is one of many who have the ability to make those improvements. And I’m here to work with them and help them. In the last month or so, he’s made some really good changes.

In regards to Afridi, Hesson was less transparent on the areas of his game which need improvement, simply stating that “we’ve identified some areas that Shaheen needs to work on, as does every player at this camp.”

Hesson also emphasized his role in getting players to be their best selves on the pitch.

“Players go through good periods and periods where they’re a little bit down in their game. And it’s up to us as coaching staff to try and get our best players on the park and make them better, so when they play for Pakistan, they perform better.”

Both Babar and Afridi will be absent from the upcoming three match T20 series against Bangladesh, which kicks off on July 20.

PAKISTAN SQUAD

Salman Ali Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufyan Moqim.

Also read: 15-man squad announced for Bangladesh T20I series