Pakistan’s Spin Maestro: Coach Mike Hesson Hails Mohammed Nawaz as World’s Best Ahead of Asia Cup 2025

In the lead-up to the highly anticipated Asia Cup clash with arch-rivals India, Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hesson has fired the first shot by declaring left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as the “best spinner in world cricket.”

Nawaz recently captured attention with a five-wicket haul against Afghanistan in the tri-nation T20 final at Sharjah, and he is set to spearhead Pakistan’s spin department alongside wrist spinners Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed.

“With wrist spinners like ours, the pitch conditions are less of a concern. The strength of our team lies in having five spinners. Mohammed Nawaz, in my opinion, is currently the best spin bowler globally and has been ranked as such over the past six months since rejoining the team,” Hesson commented ahead of Pakistan’s match against Oman.

Notably, according to the latest ICC T20I rankings, Nawaz is positioned at 30th.

“We also have Abrar and Sufiyan. Additionally, Saim Ayub is now among the top 10 all-rounders worldwide,” Hesson stated, although this claim lacks official backing.

“Salman Ali Agha has not bowled frequently and yet serves as a Test spinner for Pakistan. Therefore, if conditions favor spin, we have numerous options.” Hesson added, “Otherwise, our five pacers enable us to adjust with airspeed, change of pace, or reverse swing, depending on the surface.”

Hesson was unfazed by inquiries about Pakistani batters’ ability to read wrist spinners. “

“We have faced possibly the best wrist-spin attack globally (Afghanistan) on a challenging surface, scoring 70 runs more than our opponents, so I’m unsure of the doubts,” he remarked.

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The lineup, including players like Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Nawaz, and Muhammad Harris, is still evolving. “

“Several players can be game-changers on their day, although such instances are not as frequent as we’d like at present. However, the focus for us is on the overall performance as a batting group. In Sharjah, we’ve consistently been 20 runs over par,” he mentioned.

Hesson discussed the tri-series final where Pakistan triumphed by 75 runs on a tough pitch. “

“Even in the final, scoring 120 was adequate for the pitch, yet we achieved 140. Those watching could see the ball was gripping and spinning. Getting 140 was a scrappy effort, and fluency was difficult.” He further noted, “We also scored 200, 180, and 150 while chasing, which was our weakest showing. Generally, as a batting team, we’ve delivered results.”

“Of course, having all players in form simultaneously would be ideal. The team is hoping to find form on what appears to be a promising pitch,” Hesson concluded.

Published on Sep 11, 2025