Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson was hopeful of a better performance from his side in the Asia Cup final as the Men in Green take on arch-rivals India in the summit clash in Dubai on Sunday, September 28. Hesson admitted that Pakistan were outplayed in the first encounter between the two sides in the group stage but saw some improvements in the performance with both bat and ball in the second game, where they scored 171 runs batting first.
Looking ahead to the final of the Asia Cup, Hesson mentioned that Pakistan have to sustain pressure on India for a longer duration to be able to get the desired result. "We have to be good enough to put India under pressure for longer because there is a reason why they are ranked the top side in the world,” Hesson said after Pakistan's final Super Fours encounter against Bangladesh.
"We have to put them under pressure and that will be our challenge,” Hesson added on the India-Pakistan game. In the first game, Pakistan were 111/9 before Shaheen Afridi lifted them to 127, but that wasn't going to be enough and India chased that down with seven wickets in hand. Hesson quipped that they were in the game the second time around but Abhishek Sharma just belted them out single-handedly.
"I think the way we played against India in the last match was a huge step up from the first game. The first game was a bit passive; we allowed India to control the game. The last match we had that game by the scruff of the neck for long periods and it took an exceptional innings from Abhishek Sharma that took the game away from us," he added.
"We have deserved this opportunity so it’s now up to us to make the most of it. We have been trying to be in a position to win the trophy,” Hesson concluded while acknowledging that his side may not always have played the best-looking cricket but being able to get results in their favour was a huge sign of them taking a step in the right direction as a young team.
