Mike Hesson says Pakistan yet to play their best cricket before final

LAHORE: Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has said the team have not yet played their best cricket. He hoped they would put in a strong performance in the final against Sri Lanka.

Speaking to PCB Digital ahead of the final of the tri-nation one-day international series, he said Pakistan had reached the final with three successive wins. He said this was encouraging, as it came without standout individual performances from key players.

He said the team’s overall performance over the past two weeks had been satisfactory. Pakistan’s top three include two of the country’s greatest batters, and big players are expected to deliver in big matches.

Winning matches without big innings from the top order is welcome, but the key batters will have an excellent opportunity to play match-winning innings in the final.

Mike Hesson described Salman Ali Agha’s performances in the middle order as exceptional. He said Hasan Nawaz’s batting was also improving steadily.

He said Shaheen Shah Afridi’s early wickets were extremely important for the team, while Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf had bowled well in the tournament. Young cricketer Arafat Minhas is also improving, he said.

Pakistan’s batting in the last league match against Sri Lanka was below expectations. However, he expects the players to bounce back strongly in the final.

Praising the fans’ support, Mike Hesson said the supporters in Lahore and Rawalpindi had backed the team superbly throughout the series. The final will be played on Saturday at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.