Jason Gillespie is all set to revive the fortunes of Pakistan in Red Ball Cricket. He is looking forward to plugging the loopholes that have been plaguing the potentially inconsistent Pakistani side.
The 49-year-old veteran made a lethal fast-bowling pair with the likes of Glenn McGrath & Brett Lee. Being part of an invincible side that was world beaters in the 1990s and 2000s. In his successful career in International cricket, he played 71 tests, 91 ODIs, and a solitary T20 match. Also in his coaching assignments, he coached Yorkshire to win the English County Championship in 2014 and 2015.
Gillespie is appointed as a test side head coach to improve the performance of the Pakistan Test side that lost 1-0 to Australia in 2022 before being humiliated in their first-ever whitewash at the hand of England last year.
In the two-match series against Bangladesh, the next match was followed by a three-match six-month focus both at home. The Pakistan side will also tour South Africa before hosting the West Indies in as many tests in January next year. With the first round of assessment, he said Pakistan is a talented side but often needs more consistency to be called a reckoning force, Gillespie said in a conference.
“How could they be more consistent is one thing hoping I can find some solutions for,” Gillespie told a news conference.
Quite confident as an overview that Pakistan is a much better side than the current rankings in the World Test Championship Cycle, completed by nine teams since 2019.
Test cricket is the real cricket and ultimately we want to uplift our performances in the game of Test Cricket,” said Gillespie.
Pakistan is always renowned as a bunch of talented cricketers who can play as a team and perform well against quality opposition and will hold the key for us.
Further Pakistan was routed 3-0 in Australia last year as their sixth white-wash since 1999- which he thinks was not one-sided.
Being an acute observer of the game, I think in crunch situations the mercurial side could not justify their talent and could not finish well,” Gillespie reflected.
Pakistan were in a commanding position in the second test in Melbourne and the third in Sydney but dropped catches at a crucial juncture and justified their role as a poor fielding side.
Also, the side will have to tackle the aggressive brand of cricket dubbed “Bazball” named after their coach Brendon McCullum
The side will possess a challenge with little doubt about that. But I think we are to justify our fighting instincts, “ said.” We shall play very smart”.
Also, the white ball cricket team will try to redevelop from the heartbreaks of its first-round exit in the ODI World Cup and just concluded Twenty 20 in the USA last month where Gary Kirsten was the head coach. Pakistan will start their busy 6-month schedule with Bangladesh in Rawalpindi from Aug 21-25.
