Mike Hesson Defends Pakistan's Spin Pitches Ahead of 2027 World Cup
By Sayed Abdullah | June 1, 2026
The first ODI between Pakistan and Australia in Rawalpindi ended with a five-wicket win for the hosts, a debutant spinner grabbing five wickets, and the visitors bundled out for 200. By most measures, a satisfying Saturday for the Green Shirts. But within hours of the match finishing, the old debate had surfaced again: are these turning pitches actually helping Pakistan prepare for a World Cup in South Africa, or are they building a team that can only win at home? Pakistan's head coach Mike Hesson heard the chatter. And he did not wait for a press conference to respond.
Hesson took to social media with a clip from his recent PCB podcast and delivered a calm, detailed rebuttal. His argument, stripped down, was this: the idea that all South African pitches are fast and bouncy is a myth, and Pakistan's preparation needs to account for a much wider range of conditions than fans assume. He also pointed out something that many critics had conveniently overlooked — the World Cup is not being played in South Africa alone.
The Full Story
The match itself was a showcase for spin. Arafat Minhas, a left-arm spinner playing his first ODI, ran through Australia's batting lineup with five wickets. The pitch gripped, turned, and made stroke-making difficult. Pakistan's chase was anchored by Babar Azam's 69 and Ghazi Ghori's 65 in a 127-run partnership, but even that required patience against a turning ball. It was, by any definition, a spin-friendly surface.
Hesson addressed the criticism directly on the PCB podcast. "You know, somewhere like Paarl is slow and turns. Namibia is slow and turns. Depends in Zimbabwe, whether you're in Bulawayo, where it's slow and turns, or you're in Harare, where there's a little bit more bounce," he explained. "So, we can't just pick a side thinking we're always going to play in Joburg or Pretoria because the conditions will be very different. So, our squad will have to be able to adapt to playing in all of those conditions."
He also wrote on social media: "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. 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 is just not true."
The coach's point is well-taken, and it is backed by a basic look at the venues. Paarl, for instance, has historically been one of the slower pitches in South African domestic cricket — a ground where spinners have often outbowled quicks. Namibia's conditions, shaped by their geography and infrastructure, are not the bouncy strips of the Highveld. And Zimbabwe's two main venues, Harare and Bulawayo, play very differently from each other. A squad built purely for pace and bounce would be in trouble the moment they land in Bulawayo.
Hesson's wider argument is about adaptability. Pakistan have often been accused of preparing one-dimensional teams — squads built for flat Asian decks, or for English seamers, but rarely for the full spectrum of conditions a global tournament demands. The 2027 World Cup, spread across three countries with distinct climates and soil types, will punish any team that cannot adjust. Hesson seems to understand that.
Why This Moment Matters
The 2027 ICC ODI World Cup is scheduled for October and November of next year, and it will be the first time the tournament has returned to African soil since 2003. That earlier edition, co-hosted by South Africa and Zimbabwe, produced a famously diverse set of conditions — the bounce of the Wanderers, the turn of Bulawayo, the swing of Durban. This time, with Namibia added to the mix, the variety will be even greater.
For Pakistan, the question of preparation is not academic. The last ODI World Cup, held in India in 2023, was a miserable campaign for the Green Shirts. They failed to reach the semifinals, and one of the recurring criticisms was that the squad had been built for the wrong conditions — too many similar bowlers, not enough options for turning tracks, a batting lineup that struggled against spin. Hesson was not in charge then. But he is now, and his insistence on exposing his players to turning surfaces suggests he has absorbed that lesson.
There is also the question of confidence. Winning at home, even on helpful pitches, builds belief. Minhas's five-wicket haul on debut is not just a statistical footnote; it is a signal to the selectors that they have a young spinner who can perform under pressure. Babar's composed 69, on a surface where others struggled, reinforces his value as the anchor of this batting order. These are small gains, but they accumulate.
The Pakistani Connection
I watched parts of that Rawalpindi match on a grainy stream at a friend's place in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, yaar. The chat in the room was split — half the guys were thrilled that Minhas ran through Australia, the other half were worried that we are becoming a team that can only win on spinning tracks. And this is the tension that defines Pakistani cricket fandom. We want to win at home, but we also remember what happened the last time we went to a World Cup with a team built for one kind of surface.
Hesson's argument makes sense on paper. But Pakistani fans are right to be skeptical. We have heard coaches defend strategies before, only to see them unravel when the tournament begins. The World Cup is still over a year away, and a lot can change — form, fitness, selection, even the coaching staff itself. What matters is not just the pitches Pakistan prepare now, but whether the players being blooded on them can adapt when the conditions are different. Arafat Minhas bowling in Bulawayo is a very different proposition from Arafat Minhas bowling in Rawalpindi.
And for the fans who worry that these spinning pitches are turning Pakistan into a one-trick side, there is at least some reassurance in Hesson's broader point: the squad will have to be adaptable. Not just one or two players. The whole squad. That is a tall ask, but it is the right one. Whether the PCB's planning and the team's preparation actually deliver on that remains to be seen. Optimism in Pakistani cricket is always a cautious thing.
Do you think these spin-friendly pitches are the right way to prepare for a World Cup in Africa, or should Pakistan be building a more balanced attack? I'd like to hear what fans are thinking.
Sayed Abdullah is the founder and editor of Prime Pakistan. Based in Karachi, he writes about sports and the stories that connect Pakistan to the world. Read more.
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Sources
- PCB Podcast — Mike Hesson's full comments on home pitches and World Cup preparation.
- ESPNcricinfo — Match report of Pakistan vs Australia first ODI in Rawalpindi.
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