PCB appoints Mike Hesson as Pakistan’s limited-overs head coach
Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson was appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team in white-ball cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday.
Hesson will take over from Aqib Javed, who was appointed on an interim basis in November, a month after Gary Kirsten resigned, barely six months after taking the job. Hesson’s appointment will be effective from the 26th of May, 2025.
Hesson led New Zealand in the finals of the 2015 ODI World Cup final during his six-year spell as head coach for the national team. Later, he also served as the head coach of the Kenya national team and the Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings XI. Apart from that, he was the director of cricket operations for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL from 2020 to 2023. The 50-year-old is currently the head coach of Pakistan Super League defending champions Islamabad United.
In 2018, Hesson stepped down as New Zealand’s coach, citing a break from the rigours of international cricket.
Javed — who represented Pakistan in 22 Tests and 163 ODIs from 1988 to 1998 — who also took over as Pakistan’s interim red-ball coach after Jason Gillespie resigned in December, has been appointed as director of high performance, the PCB said.
PCB are yet to provide any details on who would take over as Pakistan’s coach in red-ball cricket.
“Mike brings with him a wealth of international experience and a proven track record of developing competitive sides,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.
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“We look forward to his expertise and leadership in shaping the future of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket,” he added.
Pakistan has had lacklustre performances in the recent past with a group stage exit in 2the 023 ODI World Cup in India, the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean Islands and the 2025 Champions Trophy, which they co-hosted withthe UAE.
Pakistan will take on Bangladesh at home in five T20 Internationals later this month.
