Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has motivated his players to concentrate on the field matters in cricket rather than off-field during the first-ever historic Asia Cup final on Sunday, September 28, in Dubai. The coach's words stem from the recent political tension between the two Asian countries since the May military conflict between the two nations.
For the unversed, Pakistan set up a date with India in the summit clash of the Continental Cup by beating Bangladesh by 11 runs in Thursday's Super Four clash. Notably, India beat the Men In Green by commanding margins on two occasions in the ongoing Asia Cup event. While the Suryakumar Yadav-led side starts as overwhelming favorites, they can't rule out the unpredictable  nature of Men In Green.
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"Look, my message to the players is just to focus on cricket, and that certainly we will be doing. In terms of gestures, there has always been passion in high-pressure games," said Hesson.
India, in recent times, has literally dominated Pakistan by winning 7-0 across white-ball formats since 2022. All these wins have been one-sided, with the India skipper also calling it no more a rivalry with Pakistan anymore.
"We have to be good enough to put India under pressure for longer because there is no reason why they are ranked the top side in the world," Hesson said. "We have to put them under pressure, and that will be our challenge."
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We have shown some improvement in the last two matches: Hesson
Pakistan, who shot out for just 127 in the group-stage match of the Asia Cup, have shown considerable improvements with bat and ball.
"I think the way we played against India in the last match was a huge step up from the first game," said Hesson. "The first game was a bit passive; we allowed India to control the game."
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"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."
