Pakistan team and Indian team - (Source: AFP)Pakistan cricket has hit a new rock bottom. The Babar Azam-led side are fresh off a clean sweep against England. The only positive they have is a common coach across formats. Notably, Mike Hesson is now in charge of both the red-ball and white-ball setup.Mike Hesson was earlier in charge of just the white-ball team, but after the shambolic display in England, the PCB asked Hesson to take charge of the Test team as well. Mike Hesson has an important task in his hands and recently, he addressed the press.Mike Hesson Praises India; Tells Pakistan To Match Their LevelSpeaking to the press, Mike Hesson heaped massive praise on India and hailed them as the benchmark in white-ball cricket. The 51-year-old stated that Pakistan need to match India’s level going forward."India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment. Our challenge is to catch up to them. We’re certainly preparing as best we can so that, if we get an opportunity to play them, we can put them under pressure, like we were able to in the final of the Asia Cup," Mike Hesson stated.Also Read: Pakistan Coach Resigns From Post To Join An Associate Nation"We have lost to India on multiple occasions, and that is the benchmark for all Pakistani cricket fans. We understand that. But to suggest that the T20 side is at a low point—when I came in, we were ranked eighth in the world in T20 cricket. We’re now ranked fifth, and we’ve gone up 30 points over 15 months," Hesson added.Mike Hesson Defends Pakistan Team; Hits Back At CriticsIn his address to the media, Mike Hesson admitted that the Test team is not doing well but he refused to accept the claims that the Men in Green are suffering in white-ball cricket."Obviously, the Test team is struggling. We’re all well aware of that. From a T20 perspective, the performance of the T20 side over the last 15 months has been around the third- or fourth-best in the world in terms of win percentage", he remarked."We’ve achieved that by winning series, not just in Pakistan but in Dubai, America and elsewhere. We’ve won a lot of series over the last 15 months in T20 cricket, so I don’t think it’s fair to put all three formats together," Hesson concluded.Mike Hesson Vows Strong Return For PakistanThe focus will now be on 2027 ODI World Cup which will take place in South Africa. Pakistan had a shambolic show in 2023 edition in India. Meanwhile, Mike Hesson stated that Pakistan are far from a finished product and they will develop a strong team going into the World Cup."At the moment, we’re struggling in Test cricket. In one-day cricket, we’re developing heading into a World Cup. We’ve certainly improved our performance over the last 12 months, but we’re by no means a finished product."Also Read: New Zealand Coach Issues Threat To Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Ahead of IND vs NZ T20Is
.jpg?type=mq "New Zealand Coach Issues Threat To Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Ahead of IND vs NZ T20Is")
