Lahore, October 29,2026: Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has backed the team’s senior batters to rise to the occasion in the home ODI tri-series final against Sri Lanka, scheduled for Saturday at Gaddafi Stadium.
Pakistan secured their place in the final with a match to spare after registering three consecutive victories. They began their campaign with a 37-run win over Sri Lanka before defeating England by 87 runs.
The Green Shirts faced a tougher challenge in their second encounter with England, the 2019 champions, but an unbeaten century from experienced all-rounder Shadab Khan inspired a thrilling one-wicket victory and confirmed Pakistan’s place in the final.
Pakistan subsequently suffered an eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in their final league fixture at the same venue. Despite the setback, Hesson expressed satisfaction with the team’s overall performance while acknowledging room for improvement.
“It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks. We have played some decent cricket without being perfect. To get three wins in a row without contributions from a few of our key players is a good sign,” Hesson told PCB Digital during the team’s training session at the LCCA Ground.
“I still don’t think we have played our best game yet. Hopefully, we are saving that for the final,” he added.
Pakistan’s experienced top-order batters have struggled for consistent contributions during the tournament, but Hesson expects them to deliver in the high-stakes final.
“You are talking about two of the greatest players in Pakistan’s history in the top three. I expect big players to stand up in big games,” he said.
He added that the team’s ability to win matches despite the top order falling short of expectations was encouraging.
“The fact that we have been able to achieve the wins that we have without the top order performing as well as we know they are capable of is a good sign,” Hesson said.
“A couple of our key players are searching for that match-winning performance, and there’s no better place to do it than in a final.”
The head coach also praised middle-order batter Salman Ali Agha for his consistent performances and highlighted the progress of emerging batter Hasan Nawaz.
“Salman Ali Agha has got the most hundreds of any Pakistan player batting at number five or below in an ODI and probably in half the games that some of the other greats have played. His performance is often underrated,” Hesson said.
He said Hasan Nawaz was developing well in his assigned role, particularly in learning how to manage run chases and assess risks.
“When you are a younger player batting in the middle order, you have got to learn how to control the chase, understand risk and manage it. That’s something Hasan is continuing to get better at,” he added.
Hesson also praised Pakistan’s bowling attack, led by captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, for its contributions throughout the series.
“Shaheen Shah continues to take top-order wickets for us, which is critical,” he said.
He also acknowledged the contributions of fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, while noting the development of young all-rounder Arafat Minhas.
“Both Naseem and Haris have bowled nicely at times throughout the tournament, while Arafat Minhas, as a young player, is continuing to develop. There are some good signs there,” Hesson said.
