Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has pushed back against criticism surrounding his tenure and the team’s recent results, insisting that the Men in Green are not in decline. Hesson said Pakistan’s progress should be viewed in the right context, especially after a year in which they won every match in the Asia Cup except the ones against arch-rivals India.

Pakistan were beaten by India in all three meetings during the Asia Cup 2025, including the final, which marked the first-ever Asia Cup title clash between the two teams. Hesson, who recently oversaw a training camp for Pakistan’s red-ball and white-ball squads at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, believes the criticism has overlooked the broader picture of Pakistan’s white-ball development.

Speaking to Cricinfo, Mike Hesson said Pakistan cannot be judged only by their results against India, particularly because the Indian team has been the most dominant side in world cricket of late.

ALSO READ: Saba Karim Makes Bold All-Format Prediction For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

“In the Asia Cup last year, for example, we won every game except against India. The reality is every single team in the world is struggling to beat India at the moment. Every team, not just Pakistan. Rightly or wrongly, Pakistan are gauged by how they perform against India. And at the moment, India is not only the best team; they’re the best team by a mile,” Mike Hesson said.

The Pakistan head coach also pointed to the team’s recent performances as proof that progress is being made under his watch. According to Hesson, Pakistan need to build consistency first before expecting stronger results in major ICC tournaments.

“At the T20 World Cup, we lost to England in the Super 8 off the back of a Harry Brook hundred and a very tight game outside of that. We won every [other] game except India. From 2023-2025, we didn’t make it out of the pool in ICC events,” he said. “So you can’t go from eighth in the world to all of a sudden competing unless you start winning more regular games of cricket. And for us to go from winning 20-odd per cent to close to three-quarters of our games in a year is significant,” Mike Hesson added.

Since taking charge, Hesson has overseen a noticeable improvement in Pakistan’s white-ball performances. The team has won two T20I tri-series and lost only one of its six bilateral T20I series, a record that the coach believes reflects steady growth rather than decline.

ALSO READ: Dinesh Karthik Links India’s Bat First Decision To Ireland Series Defeat

Pakistan’s struggles against India in ICC events and Asia Cups continue to draw attention, however. In the 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, India once again had the upper hand, beating Pakistan in the group stage, Super Fours and final to claim their ninth Asia Cup title.

Pakistan appeared on course for a strong total in the final after reaching 113 for 1, but their innings collapsed dramatically and they were bowled out for 146. India recovered from an early wobble and chased the target in 19.4 overs, sealing another convincing win over their biggest rivals.