Jason Gillespie, who took the reins as head coach of Pakistan's red-ball cricket team in April, has opened up about the challenges he's encountered in his new role. After a disappointing 2-0 series defeat to Bangladesh at home, Gillespie acknowledged the uphill battle ahead for the team.
“It's been a tough initiation, and Pakistan haven't been playing well for a while now. Look, it's a challenge. There's no doubt about that, but it's an exciting one,” Gillespie told The Telegraph.
The harsh criticism aimed at Test captain Shan Masood, particularly following the Bangladesh series, has raised questions about his leadership. However, Gillespie expressed confidence in Masood's capabilities, noting his effective communication and clear vision for the team's play.
“He has got a very clear plan on how the Test side should play and we are completely aligned on that,” he said.
"There are things people don't see and I've been really impressed by his communication with the players and how he's gone about doing his job," he added.
As Pakistan prepares to face England in a three-match Test series starting Monday in Multan, Gillespie outlined key strategies for the team to tackle their formidable opponents. He emphasized the importance of resilience and discipline, saying, “We know England are going to go hard. But if we can just keep hanging in there, keep being disciplined, strike at the right moments, go for the gap, so to speak, and get on top in games then we can mix it with really good teams."
Gillespie believes that Pakistan matches up “okay” against England and expressed gratitude to the visiting side for the series.
“I'm very confident that we've got good quality players. We just need to show our faith and our belief in them, and we need to show a bit of patience,” the red-ball coach stated.
Pakistan Squad: Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Huraira, Saim Ayub, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Abrar Ahmed, Mir Hamza, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Shaheen Afridi.
England Squad: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes (captain), Chris Woakes, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett (wk), Jamie Smith (wk), Jordan Cox (wk), Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir.
Pakistan vs England Test series schedule: