Mike Hesson is in no mood to apologise for the slow, turning surface that greeted Australia in Rawalpindi. Pakistan won the first ODI by five wickets, and their head coach has since taken to X to remind critics that next year’s World Cup – split between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia – will not be played on “one-size-fits-all” wickets.
Spinners sent down 62.3 of the 86.4 overs on Thursday, claiming 11 of the 15 wickets to fall. Pakistan picked only two frontline quicks, instead handing debutant left-arm orthodox Arafat Minhas a licence to bowl as many as he fancied. He finished with 5 for 35, the first Pakistan player to grab a five-for on ODI debut. Australia, without several regulars, relied on part-time spin from Matt Short, Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne as the ball gripped more than skidded.
The surface drew predictable groans, many suggesting it was the wrong sort of preparation for a tournament expected to reward pace and bounce. South African venues – especially the high-veld grounds that will stage the semi-final and final – do have that reputation. Hesson, though, argues the narrative is too neat.
“I’ve been hearing a bit of chatter about the pitches here in Pakistan not being the ideal preparation for the World Cup in South Africa,” he wrote on X. “Firstly, the World Cup is jointly hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Zimbabwe and Namibia have venues where spin is a big factor and we will be playing matches in those countries.”
He doubled down in the same thread: “The myth of all pitches in South Africa being quick and bouncy are just not true, there are definitely some which are but they also vary throughout the country.”
It is a point the numbers back up. Pakistan swept South Africa 3-0 in December 2024. Paarl, where “spin dictated the outcome of the match,” saw Salman Ali Agha claim 4 for 32. Left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem then spun Pakistan to a DLS win in Johannesburg. Hesson duly reminded everyone: “Those that remember the last ODI series Pakistan played in SA which included Paarl where spin dictated the outcome of the match. Rest assured we have competed significant research and will be using the next 18 months to prepare for a variety of conditions.”
Internally, the think-tank believe a flexible bowling group is non-negotiable. Two months in Zimbabwe on the way to the main event, plus a short camp in Windhoek, are pencilled in. Expect surfaces ranging from cracked turners to grassy new-ball tracks; the coaches want information, not comfort.
Australia, meanwhile, are one loss away from a third straight bilateral defeat to Pakistan. Their interim skipper Josh Inglis admitted the visitors “didn’t adapt quickly enough” – a polite way of saying they mis-read the conditions and their selection. Injuries have stripped them of established seamers, but the bigger gap in Rawalpindi was a controlling spinner once Adam Zampa sat this tour out.
For Pakistan the batting positives came in a rush. Ghazi Ghori, playing only his second ODI, eased to a maiden fifty. He later said Babar Azam’s presence at the other end “made life a lot simpler”, allowing the 23-year-old to pick off gaps rather than chase the game. Babar’s own unbeaten 71, on a pitch where timing never felt certain, looked a class apart and closed the chase with 19 balls in hand.
There is, of course, a second ODI to come – same venue, though the ground staff promise “a little more pace”. Whether that means 260 instead of 230 is anyone’s guess, but Hesson is unlikely to lose sleep. His broader argument is less about the next match and more about the long road to southern Africa. Pakistan, he contends, must be comfortable playing on anything.
So the noise around “unhelpful” home surfaces will no doubt keep humming, especially from overseas pundits. But the coach’s stance is clear: spin today, seam tomorrow, win either way.
