Mike Hesson

Born in Dunedin, Otago, Mike Hesson spent as many as 15 long years with the state team before he was appointed coach of Kenya’s national team after the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. 

Hesson was all of 22 when he joined Otago Cricket as a coaching apprentice for seven years. Later, he was named assistant coach in 2003, followed by a promotion as head coach in the next season. Under his profound tutelage, Otago went from being a struggling team to a competitive and challenging one. 20 years of trophy drought came to an end when Otago won the one-day tournament in 2007-08. Post the World Cup, Hesson was in charge of a poorly performing Kenyan team. However, security concern in the country compelled him to give up the position in just under a year. He returned to his home country and replaced John Wright as New Zealand’s head coach ahead of their Test series against India in late 2012. Hesson’s contract will last till the end of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.