The head coach of Pakistan’s national cricket team, Mike Hesson, held a press conference on Thursday in Dubai prior to the team’s first encounter in the Asia Cup 2025 against Oman.

He highlighted the team’s recent performances in the Tri-Nation T20 Series and reaffirmed his confidence in the team’s capabilities.

When asked about the high-stakes encounter with India on Sunday, he said, “We are very aware of the challenge ahead.”

“We are focusing on improving as a team day by day,” he added.

Hesson accepted that Dubai’s pitch is different from Sharjah, and the team plan should be finalised accordingly.

He said that as a team, “We are very well aware of the conditions.”

The national team’s head coach emphasised the team’s core strengths and capabilities to adapt and adjust, maintaining a balance in both bowling and batting units.

“We got five spinners, that’s the beauty of our side,” he braced.

He discarded the unjustified conviction of expecting every player to perform par excellence in every game, maintaining one’s form consistently without faltering.

“Would we like everyone in the team to be in form at the same time? Of course we wouldn’t.”

Hesson also reexamined the notion of discerning an individual’s performance based on his average strike rate. According to him, a team need a match-winning attitude and foresight, not figures to decide how it should proceed.

“You need to decide what’s required to win the game. That’s the only thing that matters. It’s not about average strike rate,” national coach said.