Pakistan could face India at Asian Games, says Mike Hesson

Pakistan could face India in the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games on October 3, provided both teams successfully progress through the earlier stages of the tournament.

Pakistan could face India in the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games on October 3, provided both teams successfully progress through the earlier stages of the tournament.

India and Pakistan are on opposite sides of the draw and cannot meet in the semi-finals, meaning a potential clash could come in the final.

“India are the benchmark in white-ball cricket at the moment, and our challenge is to catch up to that,” Hesson told reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan’s training camp at the National Bank Stadium.

“If we get an opportunity to play them, we can certainly put them under pressure, like we were able to in the final of the Asia Cup.”

Hesson cautioned against looking too far ahead.

“There’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and being able to play in a final for both sides, so we’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” he said.

The Asian Games squad is a combination of players from the Pakistan Shaheens and the national side, Hesson said, making the tournament an opportunity to assess new players.

“They certainly won’t be the same squad from a selection point of view,” he said.

Hesson also suggested that Sahibzada Farhan’s appointment as Pakistan captain for the Asian Games could provide valuable leadership experience and potentially contribute to his long-term development.

The tournament would be a “good opportunity” for Farhan to gain experience, he said.

“That’s a discussion for down the line. But at the moment, I’m really looking forward to working with Sahibzada Farhan. I’ve enjoyed the last three days,” Hesson said.

Asked about Pakistan’s performances across formats, Hesson urged against grouping the Test, ODI and T20 teams together.

“From a T20 perspective, the performance of the T20 side over the last 15 months has been around about the third- or fourth-best team in the world, in terms of win percentage,” he said.

Pakistan had climbed to fifth in the T20 rankings since Hesson took charge and had gained 30 ranking points over the previous 15 months.

“We’ve only done that by winning series, not just in Pakistan but series in Dubai, etc., series in America, whatever. So we’ve won a lot of series over the last 15 months in T20 cricket,” he said.

Hesson acknowledged that Pakistan’s defeats against India remained significant for supporters, calling India the “benchmark for all Pakistani cricket fans”, but said those results should not obscure the T20 side’s broader progress.

“One-day cricket, we’re developing heading up to a World Cup, and we’ve certainly improved our performance in the last 12 months, but we’re by no means a finished product,” he said.

Hesson also pointed to Pakistan’s progress in recent major tournaments.