Published: Feb 21, 2026, 11:47 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 21, 2026, 11:47 AM (IST)
A video of Pakistan’s match against Namibia went viral. It showed captain Salman Agha looking frustrated and throwing a water bottle in anger. Head coach Mike Hesson was standing nearby with Babar Azam, and it seemed like Hesson was telling Agha to calm down. The clip sparked a lot of talk online about tension in the Pakistan camp. But now, coach Hesson has explained what really happened.
“I’ve actually got sent that video, and you guys have really got that wrong,” he said.
Hesson made it clear there was no argument between him and the captain.
“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 and New Zealand have met seven times in T20 World Cups. Pakistan has won five of those games, while New Zealand has taken two victories. In all T20Is between the two sides, Pakistan leads narrowly with 24 wins to New Zealand’s 23.
The last time New Zealand beat Pakistan in a T20 World Cup was back in 2016.
When asked if Pakistan has a mental advantage because of the head-to-head record, Mike Hesson said past results don’t decide matches.
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, Hesson explained.
New Zealand batter Mark Chapman has a strong record against Pakistan in T20Is. In 25 matches (22 innings), he has scored 663 runs at an average of 41.43. He has hit one century and four half-centuries.
With the Super 8 opener between New Zealand and Pakistan coming up at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, both teams will look to put any off-field talk behind them and focus on the game. Pakistan will hope to continue their excellent record in World Cup clashes, while New Zealand will back Chapman’s form and their recent subcontinent experience to get off to a winning start.
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