Ex-Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has raised questions about the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointing Mike Hesson as the Pakistan Test team coach in the interim. He alluded to Mike Hesson being an Indian agent because he worked in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and worked extensively in India.
Hesson, who is the white-ball head coach of the Pakistan team, was also handed the reins of the Test team after the PCB sent seven players and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul back to Pakistan after the team lost the first two Tests to England.
However, under Hesson’s command, things have gone from bad to worse for Pakistan, as they were shot out for 133 runs in the third Test in Birmingham. Things would’ve been bad if Saud Shakeel hadn’t made 43 runs.
Many former Pakistani players have expressed their discontent with Hesson's coaching techniques. However, Rashid Latif went above and beyond on Wednesday night, raising questions about the current Pakistan white-ball coach's character and loyalty.
He stated that anytime coaches return to Pakistan after completing contracts in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the PCB should perform a comprehensive background check.
Notably, Hesson was the head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL after he had stepped down as the head coach of the New Zealand team after a long tenure.
"Mike Hesson, for me, security concerns are a different thing, but the loyalty factor is very important for a foreign coach. When I talk about Bob Woolmer, I know he was loyal. He had such loyalty. Then, if I talk about Geoff Lawson as a person, as a player, he was professional. He stayed in Lahore. He had loyalty," Latif said during a discussion on YouTube.
"All the others who have come, please help me remember; all of them were foreigners who became Pakistani coaches. They all did their work with heart. I am not putting the blame on anyone but on the coach who has come after doing IPL. There will always be doubt about him," he said.
Hesson was named the Pakistan white-ball coach in May 2025. Since then, the Pakistan team failed to lift the Asia Cup, losing to India in the final. Pakistan also didn’t make it into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026, losing to India in the group stage and England in the Super 8s.
While Latif did not directly question Hesson's involvement with Pakistan, he dropped enough hints, accusing him of being “an agent.”
"The loyalty factor is very important, and it remains doubtful. I am not saying someone is not loyal; he might be, of course, he might, but it's better if these things are checked. Check the history. The connection would be there. So the damage that we couldn't do, maybe someone will who can damage you, no matter which coach comes from abroad. But one who is directly linked with IPL, from people there, who might want to use him—that's how agents are formed,” Latif added.
Meanwhile, after shooting Pakistan out for 133 runs, England ended day one on 156/4, with Emilio Gay scoring 60 and Harry Brook remaining unbeaten after crossing the fifty mark.
