Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson claimed that the surface at the Shere Bangla stadium in Dhaka was not up to international standards. His remarks come after the side’s overall sloppy show against Bangladesh in the 1st T20I, resulting in a mammoth 7-wicket defeat. Put into bat first in the contest, Pakistan were bundled out for just 110 runs in the 1st innings.
Pakistan blame pitch instead of themselves for loss in Dhaka
Speaking to reporters after the BAN vs PAK 1st T20I, Hesson claimed that such a surface (in Dhaka) was unacceptable for any team as they were trying to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026 and Asia Cup 2025. He claimed that while it was no justification for their miserable performance with the bat, the pitch was simply not up to international standards.
“I think (the pitch) is not ideal for anybody. 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,” Hesson said.
However, Bangladesh opener Parvez Emon countered the Pakistan head coach, noting that the team didn’t think that the surface was bad as they had managed to chase down the target in 16 overs. The hosts took just 15.3 overs to chase down the 110-run target with 7 wickets to spare.
“We didn’t feel (it was a bad pitch) as we chased it down in less than 16 overs. 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. The Dhaka pitch usually benefits the bowlers. We tried to assess the wicket quickly. It was our first plan,” he said.
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