'Pakistan target final glory'

Head coach Mike Hesson confident Green-shirts can finish on a high

Pakistan coach Mike Hesson believes his team have yet to produce their best performance in the ongoing one-day international tri-series and is backing his players to deliver in Saturday's final against Sri Lanka.

The hosts will face Sri Lanka at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, with the match scheduled to begin at 1pm on Saturday.

Pakistan were the first to qualify for the final of the event which also features England, after winning their opening three matches before suffering an eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in their final league fixture.

They began with a 37-run victory over Sri Lanka and followed it with an 87-run win against England, both in Rawalpindi. Pakistan then defeated England by one wicket at Lahore thanks to Shadab Khan's maiden ODI century.

Speaking to PCB Digital during a training session at the LCCA Ground Lahore on Thursday Hesson said he was pleased with the team's progress but acknowledged there was room for improvement.

"It's been a pretty good couple of weeks. We have played some decent cricket without being perfect," he said.

"To get three wins in a row without contributions from a few of our key players is a good sign. I still don't think we have played our best game yet. Hopefully, we are saving that for the final."

Pakistan have won 12 of their 19 ODIs since Hesson took charge as white-ball coach last year, losing seven. They have also recorded series victories against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa during his tenure.

Hesson backed the experienced batsmen to rise to the occasion, saying Pakistan's ability to win matches without substantial contributions from their top order was encouraging.

"You are talking about two of the greatest players in Pakistan's history in the top three. I expect big players to stand up in big games," he said.

"A couple of our key players are searching for that match-winning performance and there's no better place to do it than in a final."

The coach praised middle-order batsman Salman Ali Agha, highlighting his record of scoring ODI centuries at number five or lower, and expressed satisfaction with the development of young batsman Hasan Nawaz.

"His performance is often underrated," Hesson said of Salman.

He added that Hasan was improving his ability to manage run chases, assess risks and control the middle overs.

Hesson also praised Pakistan's bowling attack, singling out Shaheen Shah Afridi for his ability to take early wickets, while acknowledging the contributions of Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and emerging all-rounder Arafat Minhas.

Shaheen's early breakthroughs, he said, remained critical to Pakistan's plans, while the younger players were showing encouraging signs of development.

Pakistan's batting struggled in their final league match against Sri Lanka, but Hesson remained confident his side could respond in the title clash.

He also praised the support of home crowds throughout the competition, saying the atmosphere had added to the occasion.

"The crowd has been outstanding throughout the whole series," he said. "Lahore has always supported Pakistan incredibly well as has Islamabad, and hopefully we put on a good show for them in the final," Hesson signed off.