Mirpur’s pitch “simply unacceptable”, Pakistani coach Mike Hesson says

The visitors have faced a batting collapse as Taskin, Mustafiz shine in the series opener

Pakistan’s white ball coach Mike Hesson accepts responsibility for the heavy loss against Bangladesh in the series opener after the visitors' batting order collapsed, but criticised the Mirpur pitch, calling it unfit for international cricket.

Pakistan got all out for 110 runs in Sunday’s match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur as Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah and the rest of the batting line-up had no answers to Mustafizur Rahman’s masterful use of slower balls and cutters.

Bangladesh then cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket victory, powered by a blistering fifty from Parvez Hossain.

Cracks on the pitch began appearing as early as the second over, following Taskin Ahmed’s spell, likely caused by bowlers' boot marks, but the surface wasn’t a complete minefield, as only a few deliveries behaved erratically throughout the match.

Mustafizur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan have used cutters and slower balls in a clever way that kept Pakistan's batting in check. Adding to their misery, Pakistan also suffered from poor running between the wickets.

Apart from Fakhar Zaman’s 44 off 34 balls, no Pakistani batter managed to make an impact in the innings.

In the post-match press conference, head coach Mike Hesson accepted the batting failure and also expressed his dissatisfaction with the Mirpur pitch.

“This type of pitch doesn’t help anyone. In my opinion, when teams are preparing for major tournaments like the Asia Cup or the World Cup, a surface like this is simply unacceptable. While our poor decision-making with the bat has no excuse, this wicket is not up to international standards,” said Hesson after the match.

Parvez, on the very same pitch, batted with ease in the second innings, smashing 56* off 39 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes to earn the Player of the Match award.

At the post-match press conference, the wicketkeeper batter remarked that the opposition batters simply failed to adapt to the conditions.

When asked if the pitch was unsuitable for T20 cricket, Parvez disagreed, saying: “It didn’t feel like that at all. We chased down 110 in just 16 overs, and if we had batted the full 20, we could’ve reached 160. That’s why I think the wicket was not like that. Maybe they couldn’t adapt to the conditions. We tried to make the best out of the situation.”

The Tigers made a shaky start to their chase, losing Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das within the first three overs. Parvez Hossain, however, steadied the innings, forging a crucial 73-run partnership with Towhid Hridoy to take the hosts to the brink of victory.

The 23-year-old opener revealed that success on the bowler-friendly Mirpur pitch came from a clear, simple plan: adjust quickly and play smart.

"Mirpur pitches usually offer some help to the bowlers, that's nothing new," said Parvez. "Our plan was simple: adapt quickly and settle in as early as possible. The bounce wasn’t inconsistent overall, maybe one or two deliveries behaved differently, but that could be due to the rough patches created by the bowlers’ spikes."

Hesson, however, offered a different perspective. Drawing on his experience coaching across various global franchise leagues, he warned that playing regularly on pitches like Mirpur's may not benefit Bangladeshi cricketers in the long run.

"I don’t think this kind of surface will help them when they play abroad," he said. "Yes, batting here is extremely challenging as you never quite know if 130 or 150 will be enough. That’s why I believe these conditions don’t benefit anyone. But again, we have to perform on any pitch—we’re working towards that as a team."

Former Pakistan opener Aamer Sohail, offering the pre-match pitch report, had described the surface as firm but cautioned that recent rainfall in Dhaka may have left some residual moisture beneath. He suggested this could aid the spinners -- though, in the end, it was the seamers who seized the advantage.