Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson believes his side may be saving its best cricket for the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Lahore on Saturday. The hosts qualified for the decider courtesy of three consecutive victories at the start of the event, although Hesson acknowledged his team has not yet produced its best performance despite some favourable results.
“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 said. “I still don’t think we have played our best game yet. Hopefully, we are saving that for the final.”
The concern for Pakistan is the form of its top order. Not one Pakistan batter is among the top five run-scorers at the tri-series, while star opener Fakhar Zaman and former skipper Babar Azam are yet to score a half-century at the event despite each having played in every match so far.
Hesson, however, backed his senior batters to rise to the occasion. “You are talking about two of the greatest players in Pakistan’s history in the top three,” he said. “I expect big players to stand up in big games. 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 league stage concluded in Lahore on Thursday, when England signed off with a consolation 55-run victory over Sri Lanka, defending a target of 387 and bowling out their opponents for 331. Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake struck a century in that match, according to reports, but England had already missed out on the final after losing their opening three matches of the tournament. England coach Brendon McCullum backed captain Harry Brook’s leadership despite the team’s failure to reach the decider, saying the young captain had grown from a challenging assignment.
Building towards the World Cup
The signs have been encouraging for Pakistan since Hesson took over as coach last year, with the experienced mentor having led the side to 12 victories from 19 one-day internationals, including series triumphs against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. That record, according to the ICC, bodes well ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, with Hesson hoping he can lead the team to their first 50-over World Cup title since they tasted success in Australia back in 1992. For that ambition to be realised, Hesson knows he will need his top order to fire with the bat, starting with Saturday’s final in Lahore, where Pakistan will look to turn their winning momentum into a trophy.
