Hesson Slams 'Unacceptable' Mirpur Pitch After Pakistan Collapse in 1st T20I

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has strongly criticised the quality of the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, following his team's dismal performance in the first T20I against Bangladesh. Pakistan were bowled out for just 110, as Bangladesh cruised to a seven-wicket victory with 27 balls to spare.

Hesson, while acknowledging his team’s poor shot selection and decision-making, was particularly scathing in his assessment of the surface, calling it “unacceptable” for international cricket.

“I think (the pitch) is not ideal for anybody,” Hesson said in the post-match press conference. “Teams are trying to prepare for the Asia Cup or the (T20) World Cup. It is not acceptable. It is still no excuse for some of the decisions we made with the bat. But this pitch is not up to international standards.”

Pakistan’s batting line-up crumbled early, slumping to 46 for 5 within the first eight overs. Despite a brisk start led by Fakhar Zaman, who top-scored with 44 off 34 balls, Pakistan’s innings unraveled quickly with a mix of reckless shots and three run-outs compounding their misery. The team was bowled out in 19.3 overs.

“We got off to a little bit of a flyer. Fakhar Zaman played four or five shots. It gave us a false indication about how the surface was playing,” Hesson said. “We didn't help ourselves through the middle. We chose some poor options. When the ball started to nip through and bounced steeply, we probably didn't assess that it was a bit more challenging to play high-risk shots.”

In contrast, Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon defended the Mirpur pitch, insisting that it wasn't as difficult as Hesson claimed.

“We didn’t feel (it was a bad pitch) as we chased it down in less than 16 overs,” Emon said. “We could have scored 150-160 runs if we batted the full 20 overs. It may be so that they couldn’t adjust to the pitch. We adjusted better than them.”

Emon added that the Bangladesh team focused on quickly assessing the conditions, noting that such pitches often favour bowlers in Dhaka.

However, Hesson argued that pitches like these hinder not only touring teams but also Bangladesh’s long-term development, especially when playing in foreign conditions.

“You need good cricket wickets to develop cricketers. There were some good wickets during the BPL, to be fair, but this was not one of them,” Hesson said. “It doesn’t help when they leave Bangladesh either. I don’t think (the pitch) is good for anybody.”

While not using the pitch as a sole excuse, Hesson reiterated that Pakistan must take accountability for their underwhelming performance and strive to improve in all conditions.

“It still doesn’t take away the fact that you have to perform better on any surface. We will look at it as a team.”

The next match in the series will be crucial for Pakistan, who will be eager to bounce back both in performance and in approach to Mirpur’s challenging conditions.