Hesson open to Pakistan Test job after interim defeat and England approach

Mike Hesson says he is open to coaching Pakistan's Test team on a permanent basis.

The New Zealander gave the answer after stepping in for a difficult assignment in England. He was drafted in by the Pakistan Cricket Board on an interim basis for the third Test at Edgbaston after Sarfaraz Ahmed was relieved of his duties following heavy defeats at Headingley and Lord's, according to BBC Sport.

Pakistan lost that Edgbaston Test by eight wickets. A Test is cricket's longest format, played over up to five days, and England chased down their target with only two batters dismissed.

Hesson already coaches Pakistan's limited-overs teams. He was appointed to that white-ball role in May 2025, in charge of the shorter one-day and T20 formats where matches finish in hours rather than days.

He knows international coaching well. He previously led New Zealand between 2012 and 2018, a period that included steady results across formats.

Hesson also said he was approached about the England job earlier this year. He said his agent contacted him about his availability to discuss replacing Brendon McCullum as England Test coach.

England sacked McCullum in July. They subsequently named Stephen Fleming as his successor.

The build-up to Edgbaston was chaotic. Pakistan dropped seven players and called up seven others ahead of the final Test of the series. Hesson said he was caught slightly unawares by the scale of the reshuffle, and said his players were used to "chaos" as they tried to prepare.

Ashley Noffke joined the backroom staff for the third Test to help the bowlers. Noffke is normally bowling coach with Pakistan's white-ball set-up, according to ESPNcricinfo. Babar Azam captained Pakistan in the match.

There was more noise off the field. The PCB launched an investigation into the discipline and conduct of Pakistan players on the tour of England. Hesson also denied reports that Salman Ali Agha had refused to attend a meeting with King Charles after being dropped from the squad.

For fans, this means the choice is now fairly simple. Pakistan need to decide whether to keep the Test and white-ball jobs separate or hand both to a coach who already knows the dressing room. Hesson has made clear he would accept the longer-format role if asked.

No permanent appointment has been announced. His interim spell ended in defeat, but his interest in the job is now on the record.