Mike Hesson Questions This Player’s Exclusion from Pakistan Squad

Islamabad United head coach Mike Hesson has strongly criticized the exclusion of Shadab Khan from Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, calling it a “disgrace” and insisting that the spin-bowling all-rounder still belongs among Pakistan’s top white-ball players.

Speaking on the YouTube channel Sporting Myths, Hesson did not hold back in his defense of Shadab, who was once Pakistan’s limited-overs vice-captain and a key player in the national team.

“If Shadab is not in the top 15 white-ball cricketers of Pakistan, then I should go and do something else,” Hesson said, expressing disbelief at the 26-year-old’s omission.

Shadab Khan, a former first-choice spinner and all-rounder for Pakistan, has seen his international career stall due to poor performances. Despite Shadab’s struggles, Hesson believes the Mianwali-born cricketer still can make a significant impact with both bat and ball.

“To have Shadab Khan not playing for Pakistan at the moment is a disgrace,” Hesson said, emphasizing that the all-rounder’s talent and experience make him an asset to the national team.

Hesson’s comments come in the wake of Pakistan’s dismal performance in the Champions Trophy, where they were eliminated in the group stage without a single win.

However, many fans think he is biased towards his Islamabad United skipper.

One fan commented:

It is interesting he is not mentioning Shadab’s performance to back his biased views and chose to criticize PCB because he is the coach of Shadab’s team. International cricket is not PSL. PSL is exposed when players like him couldn’t even perform in domestic cricket, let alone international cricket. Shadab is out, and nobody else is to be blamed except Shadab himself.

Critics argue that Shadab’s recent performances in both domestic and international cricket do not justify his inclusion in the national team and that Hesson’s comments are an attempt to deflect blame from the player.