New Zealand coach gives Pakistan formula to beat Australia

Mike Hesson shares a few words of advice for Misbahul Haq and his men

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson on Thursday said if Pakistan can swing the ball in Australia and put enough runs on the board then they can bag their first-ever series victory Down Under.

Pakistan, who will visit the Kangaroos for a three-Test series starting from December 15, have been beaten on eight occasions out of the 11 times they have visited Australia — seven times consecutively since 1981.

“If (Pakistan) can get the ball swinging, from a seam attack, I think they’ve got a good chance,” said Hesson. “[Left-arm pacer Mohammad] Amir is a very good bowler but he’s exceptional if he swings it. That’ll be a challenge for them over here [in Australia]. The rest of their seam attack will hold their own.”

Pakistan’s star leg-spinner Yasir Shah wasn’t able to make an impression in the recently concluded series against New Zealand due to green-tops but the Black Caps’ coach thinks he will pose a big threat to the Baggy Greens in Australia.

“[Pakistan possess] a very, very good spinner,” said Hesson. “We didn’t see a lot of him in New Zealand due to the conditions, but Yasir is an exceptional bowler. If he gets on a surface that offers a bit of up and down [bounce], he can challenge the Australian batting line-up.”

The first five-day affair between Pakistan and Australia is a day-night match in Brisbane and the pitch is supposed to have a green covering on it to keep the pink ball safe. However, Pakistan’s vulnerability on green-tops was very well exploited by the Kiwis in the historic 2-0 defeat.

However, Hesson still rates Misbahul Haq’s batsmen highly. “I think the key is just getting enough runs in these conditions. If their top order is able to show the discipline they did in New Zealand that might allow their middle-order stroke-players to play a few shots.

He named the players who could make a difference against Australia. “They’ve got some really nice players in the middle there. Babar [Azam] is an excellent player. [Asad] Shafiq and Sarfraz [Ahmed] can change a game quickly. There’s enough talent there to certainly put up a good show.”

The three Tests in Brisbane (Dec 15), Melbourne (Dec 26) and Sydney (Jan 3) between Pakistan and Australia will be followed by five ODIs.

Mike Hesson was quoted by cricket.com.au