The United head coach speaks about the importance of being flexible, their numbers-driven approach and more
Danyal Rasool09-Mar-2024Islamabad United had one idea, and licked the bottom of the glass with it before any other side had the chance to sit down for a drink. It comprised a strong, young local core combined with an overseas top order that filled in the power-hitting gaps that existed in Pakistan at the time. They used data analytics to tease out the best match-ups against each opposition, creating an internal flexibility that meant they adapted to live in-match situations more effectively than any other side.They batted deep, fostered a culture where there were no recriminations for erring on the side of belligerence. They would occasionally crash and burn, but for the most part, sizzled, and at that bubbling best, there wasn’t a PSL side in the land that could live with them. In Pakistan, where the stale, conservative ideas that dominated had seen them being dumped out of the 2016 T20 World Cup, such ideas were little short of revolutionary.Mike Hesson, then coach of New Zealand, watched from afar, but he had his eye on this side. “I’ve got a bit of a link to Islamabad United back to when Dean Jones was coach,” he tells ESPNcricinfo, sitting in the lobby of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore. “I worked with Deano a lot at Star [Sports] when he was setting up the franchise from an original perspective. So I remember having coffee dates with Deano and talking through strategy, getting up to the initial drafts around Islamabad and looking at players like Shadab [Khan] and Faheem [Ashraf]. So I had a bit of inside knowledge into Islamabad and how they operated, and into Deano with his little red book.”Related
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Hesson was highly regarded at the time, but it wasn’t until this year that the chance to be more involved with the PSL sprung about. A four-year stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL ended, and the New Zealander was on the market once again. United’s owner Ali Naqvi had a very short shortlist for head coach, and his name was at the top of it.”When Ali rung up, I was certainly very interested in talking further,” Hesson says. “They were talking to other people, so I just displayed my interest, and a week or so later we had another chat and then we agreed terms. And both of us were pretty happy to get stuck into it because it was a pretty quick turnaround.”United had swept to the title in two of the first three seasons, winning the battle of ideas so comprehensively every franchise serious about winning had little choice but to fall in line behind that. United had given the PSL the DNA for success, but DNA is great at printing out copies of itself to survive, and soon enough, mini-Uniteds proliferated across the league.
“For some players, [data] helps them and it gives them information that they want to get. There are others for whom it just clouds their judgment. It’s a matter of understanding the player rather than giving everybody the same information.”Mike Hesson
Hesson has not necessarily been sought because the franchise is in crisis, but there is no doubt its heyday of imperious dominance has long passed. Every side bar one has won the title since United’s last win in 2018, and this is the only team not to have reached any of the last five finals.”Oh, I just think competition [explains the results of recent seasons]” Hesson says matter-of-factly. “Any competition as it evolves, you’ve got to move with the times as well. The competition is tight and you can’t take anything for granted. And I think that’s what a good league is about.”Multan Sultans, who unashamedly took their data-driven blueprint from United, have surpassed them to become the most consistent winning machine in the league, their win-loss ratio of 1.43 is the eighth best among teams in top T20 leagues (min 50 matches). By contrast, United’s plan of going hard – and if that doesn’t work, going harder – suddenly appears to lack the brash ingenuity the franchise oozed in its early years. Their win-loss ratio since their last title epitomises the hit-and-miss nature supporters have come to associate with them – 32 wins and 32 losses.Hesson doesn’t have a complete overhaul on his mind, but a coach of his stature doesn’t come into any side and let things drift. “I think United have, through my discussions with Ali [Naqvi, the owner], clearly recognised that we need to adapt a little bit. A lot of the things that Islamabad have been doing have been great, but we still need to tweak a few areas as well. And that’s part of my job, to come in and identify what’s worked really well and the areas that haven’t how can we just tweak those slightly. It’s about being a little bit smarter to give us more ways of winning games rather than just one.Islamabad United last won the trophy in 2018•AFP”Our slogan is , isn’t it”, he says, turning to the media manager to ensure he’s got the pronunciation right. “To me that means playing smart, and that’s one of my philosophies. It’s all very well if conditions suit to be able to play that way that you referred to [attacking from first ball to last]. And we’ve got a lot of players who can play expansive cricket and if conditions suit, absolutely we want to play that way.”But there are some times you need to modify that slightly. And it might not mean be cautious in the powerplay because we might actually be in a pretty good position in the powerplay [to attack], and it might not even be in the middle overs. All it is, is being able to adapt your skills to those conditions. And that’s about problem solving.”The almost stubborn rigidity to one gameplan has cost United at crucial times over the years. Earlier this season, they needed 21 runs in 13 balls against Peshawar Zalmi with seven wickets in hand, before a slew of ill-judged shots saw them lose five wickets in seven balls, and the match by eight runs. In a famous Eliminator in 2022 against Lahore Qalandars, they lost their heads in a chase that boiled down to 10 runs off as many balls, with tailenders refusing singles and playing low-percentage swings as the Qalandars stole a six-run win.Islamabad United like to go hard, and failing that, go harder•PCBUnited have almost made a virtue of insisting data plays a significant role in the way they set up for games. Captain Shadab Khan is a huge believer, having bought wholesale into the strategy ever since being appointed captain in 2019, and, especially in his early years, mentioned it at almost every opportunity. Hesson, who calls Shadab “a very fine captain” and isn’t bashful of highlighting the crucial role of the edge attention to data can give a T20 side, says there is more to data than just knowing numbers.”I always want context to be surrounded by data,” he says. “Data is no good unless it’s got some context around it. You need to have some cricket nous to be able to interpret what data is important and what is just data. Also, who in your group can benefit from getting some of the information? We’re lucky we’ve got Cricviz with us with us who have a really good understanding of not just the data, but what actually makes a difference to a game. We’ve also got a coaching staff that can identify that and then probably share it with those that can understand it, and interpret it so it makes them better. That’s the whole idea of using data is to try and make a side more efficient.”From a scouting perspective as a bowler, you’ve got to be aware of what your strengths are first. And then if there are some clear deficiencies in your position, you can exploit that by doing things that you do well. No one’s providing data to try and say you have to bowl a delivery or do something you’re not capable of doing.”But while Hesson’s deconstruction of the value of such numbers can essentially be described as well-researched analysis, the word itself – perhaps like Bazball – is in danger of being lost to the culture wars in Pakistan. Qalandars, who have often been described as an “anti-data” side, and at times even proudly embraced that sobriquet, were something of a laughing stock in the first four years of the PSL, when United scooped up title after title.In the last four years, though, they made three finals, without necessarily leaning into the numerically academic side of T20 cricket; there is no reference to data when the Qalandars players and staff talk about their consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023. With Shadab’s enthusiastic buy-in to the concept, contrasted with several players’ dismissal, if not outright hostility, of it, the numbers themselves have become an emotive talking point within the PSL.”I think some players are far more interested in data than others,” Hesson concedes. But I don’t think it’s resistance [from others]. For some players, it helps them and it gives them information that they want to get. There are others for whom it just clouds their judgment. It’s a matter of understanding the player rather than giving everybody the same information.Islamabad United enjoyed significant early successes•Pakistan Super League”When we have those discussions and we share that data with players, we have to have it in a way where it actually applies to these guys. Otherwise, we won’t share it. It’s our job to understand it and see what’s usable. And if there’s something that’s just a little bit grey and not really definitive, then it’s not worth sharing. Knowing that someone scoops, or that someone can reverse lap, knowing when someone’s under pressure they come down the wicket straight, is important information to have. So when we know that we share it.”Hesson is also eager to break United’s historic dependence on needing to bowl first to win games. No other side’s results in the PSL have as deep a correlation between success and chasing totals – United have 14 wins and 24 losses when batting first, as opposed to 33 wins and 16 defeats when hunting down a target. As you’d expect for a numbers-oriented side, they are perfectly aware of this; just four times in 45 matches have they won a toss and opted to bat first. So far this season, though, their record is more balanced: two wins and two losses when batting first, and exactly the same chasing.”This year is quite different than the last few years” Hesson, who followed the PSL even when he wasn’t involved, says. “In previous years, United have been stacked from a batting perspective and probably haven’t had the depth of bowling. Here, we’ve almost defended scores around 140. So from a bowling point of view, it’s been exceptional. From the batting point of view, we’ve had one middle phase and one finishing phase with the bat where we were quite poor, and those are probably the difference in very close games. You do either one of those phases half well, and you potentially win by 10 or 15. We know those things are within our control. So I think we a far better balanced side in terms of bat and ball than potentially we’ve had in the past.”But Hesson is just settling in, enjoying the PSL and is optimistic of the changes he can effect at United. He revealed he was surprised by the pitches, especially in Lahore and Multan, which were slower than they have at times been in the past. That, theoretically, isn’t what suits United’s game best, but for this franchise under Hesson, it’s a good early test of their flexibility.”It’s actually good in terms of challenging you from a skill perspective rather than just being flat. I’ve actually enjoyed that challenge, and the closeness of the competition so far. We’ve got a depth in the squad so it doesn’t really affect that. Our squad can cater for all different surfaces. I think when you do your research, in the last couple of years, the scoring rates have been incredibly high. Night games, there’s been a lot of dew. There hasn’t been a huge amount of dew other than the first game we played, and that evens the game out which I like. You don’t want games to be decided by the toss. It’s just whether we are able to play some smart cricket when we need to.”As the game evolves and as the ball softens and conditions change, it’s about being able to just instinctively know to shift gears in terms of how you operate, what your high-percentage options are and what aren’t. What is the par score now rather than what did it start at? It’s that problem solving and problem solving as a batter is so crucial. And that’s the skill we are trying to develop at Islamabad United, and. we’ve got a lot of highly experienced, highly talented players who over the next little while will show that they’re good problem solvers.”Jones’ revolution was a trailblazing success. Now it’s time to see whether Hesson’s evolution can follow in its wake.