Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has said it is unrealistic to expect the team to suddenly win ICC titles after years of inconsistent performances. Hesson said that long-term success comes from steady improvement and consistent performance rather than immediate results at major events.
The Men in Green have struggled in recent ICC events, suffering group-stage exits at the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. However, the team showed some progress in the 2026 T20 World Cup by reaching the Super Eight stage instead of being eliminated in the first round.
We have achieved that – Mike Hesson on Pakistan’s reforms
Mike Hesson said that his first priority after taking charge is to make Pakistan a more consistent team. He said the team has improved significantly, with its series win rate increasing from around 20 per cent to almost 70 per cent.
“When you inherit a team that wins only 20 per cent of its matches, it is a big challenge. Our first objective was to create consistency in both performances and results and we have achieved it. We are now winning more series than before. Our success rate has increased from 20 per cent to almost 70 per cent,” Hesson told Geo News.
You can’t become world champion – Mike Hesson explains Pakistan’s long-term plan
Hesson said Pakistan had made progress, including reaching the Super Eight stage at the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, he stressed that winning ICC tournaments requires consistent success over a long period of time rather than short-term good performances.
“We have improved a lot compared to where we were before, although there is still a lot of work to do. We need to keep winning because you can’t become world champions with just a 23 per cent win rate. We still have time before the next ICC event and we have improved in a number of key areas,” Hesson said.
Pakistan reached the Super Eight stage at the 2026 T20 World Cup after early exits from the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. However, they failed to advance past the semi-finals in the tournament.
Structuring contracts to suit the demands of the modern game – Mike Hesson supports PCB’s new system
Mike Hesson also supported the PCB’s new five-track central contracting system. He said that in modern cricket players need to focus on the formats that best suit their skills rather than trying to play every format.
Hesson explained, “Cricket boards now need to tailor contracts to suit the demands of the modern game, allowing players to focus on the formats that best suit their skills. T20 specialists should prioritize franchise cricket to hone their white-ball skills, while players aiming for success in Test cricket should focus on first-class cricket rather than excelling in all formats.”
The new PCB contract model includes Track AB for multi-format players, Track A for Test specialists, Track BC for white-ball players, Track C for franchise specialists and Track D for emerging cricketers.
