The incident unfolded during the Pakistan versus Namibia clash in Colombo.
Opting to bat first, Pakistan lost Saim Ayub cheaply but Sahibzada Farhan and skipper Salman Ali Agha added 67 runs for the second wicket to steady the ship. Agha got out against the run of play for 38 off 23 balls.
Soon after the dismissal, the TV cameras caught an animated conversation featuring Agha and head coach Mike Hesson. When Hesson put forward his viewpoint, it appeared that the Pakistan captain wasn't pleased and even ended up throwing a water bottle. The coach further said something, to which Agha simply nodded.
Ahead of Pakistan’s Super 8 opener against New Zealand, Mike Hesson opened up on his tense exchange with Salman Ali Agha.
"I've actually got sent that video, and you guys have really got that wrong," Hesson said, explaining the context behind the heated moment.
He revealed, "So I was going over to talk to Salman about getting Nawaz to put the pads on as a left-hander, and Agha was upset that he just got out, so he threw the bottle into the ground. Nothing to do with the conversation we were having. And then, obviously, as I said, once the left arm spinner finished, we talked about shut up, go and getting his pads on to come in after - So it was a really simple conversation that often he wasn't even part of. He was just standing there, being pretty disappointed that he was out, and it just happened to be in the crossfire. So, amazing what people can interpret sometimes."
Pakistan are considered as favorites for the Super 8 clash against New Zealand. The 2009 champions hold a dominant 5-2 record over the Kiwis in seven meetings at T20 World Cup.
Addressing questions about Pakistan's edge, Hesson remarked: "I don't think games are won or lost psychologically. I think they lost; they won through skill. New Zealand have played a huge amount on the subcontinent in recent times. Sri Lanka tends to spin a little bit sharper than it does in India as a general rule. And, we saw that a little bit at SSC. We saw that also during the first innings in particular, here the other night. So I don't believe anyone's got a psychological edge. Obviously, I remember the 2016 game. I was there at the time. I remember that, and I remember us preparing pretty well against Pakistan. We had a lot of different threats. So, yeah, what's happened in the past is in the past. We're looking forward to starting the Super 8s well tomorrow."
After the New Zealand fixture, Pakistan will take on England (February 24 in Pallekele) and Sri Lanka (February 28 in Pallekele) in the Super 8 phase of the tournament.
(With ANI Inputs)