Mike Hesson is staying put. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has locked in the New Zealander as the national team's interim red-ball head coach through the finish of the current World Test Championship cycle.
Hesson took control of the Test dugout two months ago amid chaos in England, stepping in after former coach Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed midway through the tour. Now, the arrangement extends across the red-ball calendar, keeping Hesson at the helm for next year's Test series against New Zealand. PCB officials confirmed both the board and the head coach have delivered that directive straight to the dressing room.
The dual mandate carries massive power—and fierce pushback. Hesson, who signed on as Pakistan's white-ball head coach in May 2025, enjoys Naqvi's direct backing on sweeping tactical calls and selection blueprints. Yet his frequent rotation of players across formats has triggered sharp anger among former players and domestic critics. The discontent reached the surface when Test captain Babar Azam conceded he has zero say in squad selection, stating his job is strictly to extract results from whichever 15 or 16 players the management and selection committee hand him.
But the board's leadership is refusing to blink. While critics slam the concentration of authority, Naqvi has chosen continuity over another boardroom purge, staking Pakistan's red-ball revival on Hesson's playbook until the WTC cycle wraps up.
A definitive reckoning awaits on the African continent. The PCB plans to review Hesson's complete multi-format tenure following next year's World Cup, jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, where Pakistan will decide whether to hand him a permanent Test contract or reset its coaching ranks for the next cycle.