Hesson aims to ‘widen the group’ keeping the ODI World Cup in mind

Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, is building the team with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. That was his rationale behind giving call-ups to several new faces in Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming series against the Australian men's national cricket team.

“Look, I think with one-day cricket with the World Cup in mind, in a year and a half, you know, we have to widen the group. So rather than the same players always being selected, the ODI squad is a work in progress. And there are a number of areas we need to develop.

“And we need to make sure come the World Cup in a year and a half that we've actually got the best squad,” said Mike Hesson.

The Pakistan Cricket Board held a training camp at the National Cricket Academy, during which 28 players were shortlisted. The camp was organized to gauge players ahead of the series, with many names coming directly from the recent Pakistan Super League season. Hesson oversaw the camp, and Pakistan announced the squad after its conclusion, taking the findings into account.

“The last two weeks have been a good chance for us to identify some of that new talent, challenge them against some of the existing players, and work out where the gaps are, you know, because some of these young guys are promising, but, you know, still got a lot of work to do,” said the Pakistan head coach.

Opportunity for youngsters

Pakistan’s squad includes several notable exclusions, including Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Usman Khan. While there is no official update on Rizwan, he is understood to remain out of Pakistan’s World Cup plans at this stage, while Fakhar and Saim are recovering from injuries. Usman Khan has been left out due to illness.

Hesson said the absence of several senior players gives opportunities for younger players to step up, particularly in batting.

“With the likes of Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, Usman Khan all sort of being out, it gives some opportunities for us to look at some younger ones, particularly in the batting side.

“They'll be exposed to an Australian side who'll be hurting from their performance over here last time.”

“Their squad looks strong and they'll be coming over here. ODI cricket is probably one of their stronger formats at the moment. That group is certainly probably better than their T20 at the moment.”

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