Hesson optimistic about 'sporting wickets' for Bangladesh ODIs

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said on Monday that he is expecting a sporting wicket in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. Hesson had earlier criticised Bangladesh during Pakistan's T20I tour last year for producing an unacceptable wicket that was not ideal for international cricket.

However, Hesson looked optimistic about the wicket prepared for the three-match ODI series scheduled at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on March 11, 13 and 15.

"Without doubt, yeah. I mean, it certainly looks like a far better pitch with better coverage than it has been. Unfortunately, the pitch here hasn't been great for a while. But even in the BPL, the pitches were much improved," Hesson told reporters ahead of their opening game at Mirpur on Monday.

"It looks like there's a lot more grass cover, which should create a genuine contest between bat and ball. Both sides will benefit from that. You know, both teams want to play on good cricket wickets and be challenged, and it certainly looks that way at this stage," he said.

"These conditions look very different from the previous T20 series, which featured inconsistent bounce and an average surface. The current pitch looks improved, meaning both sides will be challenged equally with bat and ball," he said, adding that he believes the wicket and conditions will likely favour pace bowling rather than spin during the middle overs of the ODI innings.

"Well, I think that'll depend on the conditions. There's a lot more grass on that square than I've seen in the past here. How it plays will determine whether seamers dominate the middle overs more than spinners," he said.

"We certainly have some good spinners who can operate in the middle overs. If the pitch offers anything, we can look to create wicket-taking opportunities. But that will be very much pitch-dependent," he added.

Hesson added that they are looking to move past the T20 World Cup disappointment and approach the series with a fresh mindset as they prepare to take on Bangladesh in the three ODIs.

"It is an exciting group with fresh faces who have performed well for the Shaheens and earned the right to compete at the next level. The primary challenge is adapting to the pitch conditions quickly. Regardless of the circumstances, the goal is to have a team ready to challenge Bangladesh in their own conditions," said Hesson.

"The last two one-day series were exceptional and won convincingly with solid cricket and runs at the top of the order. This series provides an opportunity for new players to maintain that standard," he said.

"The team is capable of winning, but there is great respect for Bangladesh, especially in their home conditions. Because Bangladesh has played more 50-over cricket recently, the team must adjust to the longer format quickly," he added.