Mike Hesson confirms Babar, Rizwan in Pakistan white-ball plans

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has reaffirmed that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were in the team’s white-ball plans.

The two former Pakistan captains were excluded from the squad for the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year.

They also missed out on the squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

Speaking to the media ahead of the series, Mike Hesson said that both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan remained in contention for a spot in the squad.

However, he highlighted specific areas for improvement for the two players.

“They both are very fine players. Both those players will be involved in the white-ball plans,” he said when asked about Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Hesson reiterated that players who missed out on the squad for the Bangladesh series were not out of contention for a place in the squad in future.

When asked if he was concerned about Pakistan’s slump in the ODI ranking, Mike Hesson said that the immediate focus was on playing modern cricket in the white-ball format.

“Pakistan’s approach has been a little bit behind the rest of the nations. We want to play aggressive cricket, but also smart cricket. We’re very clear about the brand of cricket we want to play,” he added.

It is to be noted here that the first game of the three-match T20I series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, the second on Friday, May 30, while the third and final T20I is scheduled on Sunday.