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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has opened up on the exclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris from the T20I squad for the series against South Africa.
The 24-year-old, who debuted in 2022, has featured in 35 T20Is, scoring 555 runs at an average of 17.34, including one century and a fifty.
He was part of the Pakistan squad in the recent ACC T20 Asia Cup 2025, where he began brightly with a half-century against Oman but could not sustain his form, finishing the tournament with 131 runs in six innings at 21.83.
Mike Hesson, while speaking to reporters at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday, said Haris had been given “ample opportunities” to cement his place in the national side but failed to make them count.
“Mohammad Haris has had plenty of chances, and even he would admit he hasn’t made the most of them,” Hesson remarked.
He also advised the wicketkeeper-batter to focus on improving his decision-making when playing his shots.
“I wouldn’t say his career is over, but he needs to improve his decision-making with the bat. Even in domestic cricket, his batting average is around 17, the same as in international cricket,” he added.
Notably, Haris has now been replaced by Usman Khan, who returns to the side after last playing in the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year.
Hesson explained that Usman’s inclusion was based on conditions and team balance ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
“Usman Khan is a very good player of spin,” Hesson said.
“We see a wicketkeeper batting more through the middle than at the top, and with the World Cup in Sri Lanka, handling spin will be crucial. That’s why Usman was given the opportunity.”
Usman, who has represented Pakistan in 19 T20Is, has 239 runs at an average of 14.93 and a strike rate of 121.93, with one half-century to his name.
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