Mike Hesson defends Pakistan's pitches after winning first Australia ODI

Pakistan Men’s Head Coach Mike Hesson has hit out at criticism surrounding the spin-friendly pitch dished out in the first ODI against Australia on May 30 in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan won the game by five wickets, where the spinners bowled 62.3 overs out of the total 86.4, picking up 11 of the 15 wickets in the game. Australia were bowled out for 200 as debuting left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas picked up a five-wicket haul. Minhas was one of four spinners played by Pakistan, and Australia skipper Josh Inglis had to rely on the part-time spin of Matt Short, Matt Renshaw, and Marnus Labuschagne. The slow and low nature of the pitch drew criticism from fans and experts alike.

Coming out in defence of the tactic, Hesson reassured that pitches in Zimbabwe and Namibia, which will be co-hosting the 2027 ODI World Cup with South Africa, are conducive to spin bowling. He further added that the belief that all pitches in South Africa are bouncy and fast is not consistent, with wickets varying throughout the country.

“I've been hearing a bit of chatter about the pitches here in Pakistan not being the ideal preparation for the World Cup in South Africa. It’s actually a topic I talked about on the latest #PCB podcast,” Hesson stated on a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“Firstly the World Cup is jointly hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Zimbabwe and Namibia have venues where spin is a big factor and we will be playing matches in those countries. The myth of all pitches in South Africa being quick and bouncy are just not true, there are definitely some which are but they also vary throughout the country,” he added.

Hesson also references the ODI series the team played in South Africa in December 2024, where they completed a 3-0 clean sweep. The opening game at Paarl saw the spinners take seven of the nine South Africa wickets which fell, with Salman Ali Agha finishing with figures of 4 for 32. The third ODI saw left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem take figures of 4 for 52 as Pakistan won by 36 runs by the DLS method in Johannesburg.

“Those that remember the last ODI series Pakistan played in SA which included Paarl where spin dictated the outcome of the match. Rest assured we have competed significant research and will be using the next 18 months to prepare for a variety of conditions,” Hesson concluded.

The second ODI will be played on June 2 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which will also host the third ODI on June 4.