Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson arrived in Multan on Sunday and met the coaching staff of the four teams competing in the National Champions Cup with the domestic tournament serving as an early step in the country’s preparations for next year’s 50-over World Cup in South Africa.

Hesson held a meeting with the coaching staff of Pakistan Greens, Gold, Whites and Blues, with head coaches Misbah-ul-Haq, Ijaz Junior, Iqbal Imam and Aizaz Cheema in attendance.

Pakistan’s white-ball bowling coach Ashley Noffke and National Cricket Academy (NCA) head of coach education Shahid Aslam also took part in the meeting.

The discussions focused on improving players’ one-day cricket skills and other aspects of the tournament, which will run from August 11 to 18 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

This is a rare occasion that national white-ball coaching staff held a strategic meeting with the domestic event’s outfits coaches in order to work on the lines which will help the national brigade to get settled resources for the next year’s global assignment.

The National Champions Cup 2026-27 will formally launch Pakistan’s domestic cricket season and is expected to provide the national coaching setup with an opportunity to assess players in a competitive 50-over environment.

The tournament is being regarded as the first phase of Pakistan’s preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Players and officials from all four teams arrived in Multan on Saturday. The sides will conduct training sessions on Sunday and Monday before the tournament gets underway.

Pakistan Greens and Pakistan Whites were scheduled to train from 3 pm onwards on Sunday at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre, while Pakistan Blues and Pakistan Gold will begin their sessions from 7:30 pm at the Multan Cricket Stadium. 

Teams will continue their preparations on Monday ahead of the opening fixtures, with the tournament providing players an opportunity to stake their claims for selection in Pakistan’s white-ball squads.

Hesson’s involvement in the Champions Cup comes as Pakistan seek to build greater depth in their one-day squad and identify players capable of meeting the demands of international cricket ahead of next year’s World Cup.

The presence of national and domestic coaching staff at the tournament is also intended to strengthen coordination between the domestic structure and the requirements of the international team.

With the Champions Cup forming part of the domestic season and the national team’s longer-term World Cup planning, performances in Multan are likely to be closely watched by Pakistan’s coaching and selection setup.