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T20 World Cup 2026 | 'Pretty disappointed dressing room:' Pak coach Hesson questions shot selection by top order after loss vs India

T20 World Cup 2026 | 'Pretty disappointed dressing room:' Pak coach Hesson questions shot selection by top order after loss vs India

Pak coach questions shot selection by top order post loss vs India Photograph: (AFP)

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Pak coach Hesson was frank in his assessment of the team and questions the shots played by the top order, including skipper Salman Ali Agha, on a surface which was a bit tacky. Pakistan now must win their last group stage match against Namibia to comfortably qualify for the Super 8 stage.

Pakistan coach Mike Hesson the dressing being 'disappointed' after a comprehensive loss against arch-rivals India on Sunday (Feb 15) in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Chasing 176, Pakistan were never in the hunt after losing four wickets inside the powerplay and eventually got bowled out for 114, losing the match by 61 runs. Pak coach Hesson was frank in his assessment of the team and questions the shots played by the top order, including skipper Salman Ali Agha, on a surface which was a bit tacky. Pakistan now must win their last group stage match against Namibia to avoid potential net run rate showdown with the USA to qualify for the Super 8 stage.

Pakistan coach shares dressing room update after India loss

"It's a pretty disappointed dressing room in there at the moment because they know how much it means to Pakistan," Hesson said after the loss. "And we are really disappointed we didn't play as well as we could, but we're also part of the tournament and we know in tournament play that it's not always going to go your way. So our job is to pick ourselves up and make sure that we're very good in two or three days."

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On picking out a reason where it went wrong for the team, Hesson acknowledged: "We lost wickets early on to shots that I'm sure on that surface they were pretty tough, tough options. On a quicker surface, (like) SSC, might be a little bit different. So it is about adapting and we've been really good the last few months about adapting to different conditions. Today we probably took a little step back."

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After being put in to bat first, India lost Abhishek Sharma early who scored his second consecutive duck in the tournament. Ishan Kishan, however, took the charge of the Indian innings and scored a sensational 40-ball 77 with 10 fours and three sixes. He added 87 runs for the second wicket with Tilak Varma (25) and put India on course for a good total on a tough pitch. India eventually managed 175/7 in 20 overs with Suryakumar Yadav being the second highest run-scorer for India with 32.

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Prashant Talreja

Prashant Talreja is an Assistant Editor at WION, specializing in sports: cricket, tennis, golf, football, etc. With over 10 years of experience in sports journalism, Talreja has pr...Read More