Pakistan coach Mike Hesson praised left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz as the “best spinner in the world” ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 clash against Oman in Dubai on Friday. Pakistan will kickstart their Asia Cup campaign with strong momentum after winning the recent tri-nation series against Afghanistan and UAE in the UAE.
Hesson’s side has won 10 of their last 13 T20Is, many of them without senior stars Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan. This absence has given opportunities to Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub to step up in the top order.
“It is very much a developing batting lineup,” Hesson said on Thursday as quoted by ICC.
“And there are a number of players who, on their day, can win you the game, but they do not have as many good days as you would like at the moment. I think that is very fair. The thing for us, though, is we are more interested in the sum of the parts as a batting group.”
The coach added that his batting unit must adapt to conditions and targets.
“Because there are times where 150 is good enough, there are times where 190 might not be. So you have got to, as a batting unit, decide what is required to win the game and see if we can get above that.”
Nawaz Leads Pakistan’s Spin Strength
While still working on batting combinations, Hesson expressed full satisfaction with Pakistan’s bowlers, especially spinners. Nawaz recently won the Player of the Series award in the tri-series with 10 wickets in five matches at an average of 11.70. His performance included a match-winning five-wicket haul in the Sharjah final against Afghanistan.
“I guess the beauty of our side is we have got five spinners,” Hesson said.
“We have got Mohammad Nawaz, who’s the best spin bowler in the world at the moment, and he has been ranked that way over the last six months since he has come back in the side.”
Alongside Nawaz, spinners Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem impressed in Pakistan’s recent victories. All-rounder Saim Ayub also entered the top 10 all-rounders in world cricket. Salman Ali Agha, mainly Pakistan’s Test spinner, remains another option.
Focus Shifts to Oman and India
Hesson stressed the importance of starting strong against Oman but admitted the much-anticipated India clash on Sunday will be a huge test.
“We know that India is obviously hugely confident, and rightfully so, in terms of how well they’ve played,” Hesson said.
“We are very much focused on improving as a team, sort of day by day, and not getting too far ahead of ourselves, but we’re well aware of the… I wouldn’t say the enormity of the task, I would say the challenge of the task ahead, and we are certainly looking forward to it.”
Pakistan’s opening match against Oman will set the tone for their Asia Cup 2025 journey, with Nawaz’s spin and the evolving batting lineup under close watch.
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