Fortunate to be the director of cricket from a young age, shared Mike Hesson
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Director of Cricket, Mike Hesson has stated that he was fortunate to get the role of the director of cricket at a very young age and enjoyed his role. Recalling his stint with Kenya, he added that he loved coaching Kenya but coaching home side was special.
Mike Hesson was involved with Otago cricket for 15 years before taking over as Kenya coach after the team's poor performance in the 2011 World Cup. Hesson took over as Kenya's coach for a two-year term but resigned in May 2012, less than a year after taking up the job, and joined New Zealand as head coach in 2012. He became the longest-serving coach of the side and under his guidance Blackcaps reached the final of the 2015 World Cup. He ended his tenure with the Kiwi side in 2018. In 2019, he was appointed as the director of cricket in RCB, who wanted to have better management of the franchise.
Having taken up coaching at an early age of 32, Hesson shared that he was fortunate to be involved in managing operations of cricket at that early age. He added that after turning into a coach he regrets not playing when he sees flat wickets.
"Yes, I had a few injuries from a back perspective but also got an opportunity to be the director of cricket from a young age which was a really fortunate opportunity and I loved it. I absolutely loved coaching and loved the opportunity to engage with probably with different levels that gave me plenty of experience. Yeah, I regret not playing at times when I see flat wickets but other than that I'm happy," Hesson said in a video posted by RCB's official Twitter handle.
Despite things not working out with the Kenyan team, Hesson claimed that he loved working with the underdog side. However, the coaching job to his home country New Zealand always holds a ‘special’ place in his heart.
"The Kenyan players are semi-professional in terms of how they operate, the facilities are tough so you have to be really flexible in what you do. I absolutely loved coaching Kenya but coaching your home nation New Zealand and doing good things was pretty special," he said.