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[EXCLUSIVE] "I would love to see Pakistan play 4 pace-bowlers in Test cricket": Jason Gillespie

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Being the Pakistan head coach can be a thankless job. The media and former players are quick to criticize at every opportunity, and instability at the board level can be unsettling. Yet amidst the tumult, lies the rewarding task of nurturing the raw talent abundant in the country.

In today's episode, Saj chats with Australian fast bowler, Jason Gillespie, who was recently appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan Test team. In addition to his rich playing career, Gillespie has a wealth of coaching experience, including roles with Zimbabwe, Yorkshire, South Australia, as well as BBL and IPL teams. What motivated him to take on the role of Pakistan's men's Test side? And what does he hope to achieve?

Listen to his first exclusive interview since he was appointed as Test coach to find out more:

00:14 - Introduction
01:05 - What drew him to coach Pakistan in the Test format?
03:48 - Is it a full-time role?
06:26 - What challenges does he expect in his new role?
11:08 - On the prospects of working with players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi
12:30 - What is the Pakistan Test team lacking?
14:16 - On Shan Masood
15:08 - On the 'Pakistan Way'
18:23 - His outlook for Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign
20:01 - Conclusion


 
It depends on where we will play most of our Test cricket. If we do play in Pakistan, playing with four fast bowlers would be risky because wickets hardly offer anything for the pacers in the subcontinent. If we add a spinner on top of the four fast bowlers, it means our batting lineup will become more fragile. Anyways it would be really interesting to see how Gillespie makes the combination and which fast bowlers he will prefer, hoping things will work for him!
 
Cricket Warrior said:
It depends on where we will play most of our Test cricket. If we do play in Pakistan, playing with four fast bowlers would be risky because wickets hardly offer anything for the pacers in the subcontinent. If we add a spinner on top of the four fast bowlers, it means our batting lineup will become more fragile. Anyways it would be really interesting to see how Gillespie makes the combination and which fast bowlers he will prefer, hoping things will work for him!
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Pakistan is not playing many games so Jason's would love his tenure with Pakistan. Playing 4 fast bowlers is not applicable in all countries, not in Pakistan especially. Shaheen, naseem, Jamal and Hamza will be the premier bowlers up top to play the games more often. Abrar being a better spinner than many out there will have to play no matter what.

Jason will love this mix achaar type team.
 
The only way you can play 4 pacers in Pakistan is in Rawalpindi during the winters and if the PCB is bold enough not to make a flat wicket.
 
This has the makings of a great appointment if PCB listen to him and give him the chance to work how he wants to.

I like his focus on fitness, that is a huge weakness in Pakistan cricket.
 
Savak said:
The only way you can play 4 pacers in Pakistan is in Rawalpindi during the winters and if the PCB is bold enough not to make a flat wicket.
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Rawalpindi has the flattest wicket whether you r playing in winters or summers.

The only wicket that can support a bit of pace is Karachi due to some moisture level. Otherwise most of the Pakistan wickets are flat and don't support any pace.
 
Unfortunately Abrar could not be tested in Australia tests..

You have to play a spinner if the spinner is of decent quality. I will defo stick with Abrar for now.
 
I hope he will utilize this option quite well and frequently on bouncy tracks like in South Africa and Australia.
Savak said:
The only way you can play 4 pacers in Pakistan is in Rawalpindi during the winters and if the PCB is bold enough not to make a flat wicket.
Click to expand...
 
You always need a spinner in the team no matter what the conditions are. Playing 4 fast bowlers makes sense when you have a good fast-bowling all-rounder who can bowl express pace and can bat a bit so Jason is moving in the right direction. He might be looking for a guy like Jamal to develop more and we might see some improvement in the all-rounder department.
 
gazza619 said:
Unfortunately Abrar could not be tested in Australia tests..

You have to play a spinner if the spinner is of decent quality. I will defo stick with Abrar for now.
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Abrar is also a very single dimensional bowler without much spin... I am sure that he will struggle in SENA countries... so in my opinion with three premium bowlers we need a quality spinner like we had saeed ajmel who can make the ball talk on flatter surfaces too.
 
Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s red-ball coach, confirmed his upcoming arrival in Pakistan and the planning of a camp for test players. He plans to spend time in Pakistan observing players in a domestic setting, given his additional role as a selector.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Abrar is also a very single dimensional bowler without much spin... I am sure that he will struggle in SENA countries... so in my opinion with three premium bowlers we need a quality spinner like we had saeed ajmel who can make the ball talk on flatter surfaces too.
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I know. We need a leggie really.
 
gazza619 said:
I know. We need a leggie really.
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Leggie is always the man you would need in any format of the game. Abrar might not be a big tuner of the ball but he has much more control and is always a mystery when it comes to his style of bowling.
 
I wish he was my team india's coach....instead of the useless misfiring halwa Paras mhambrey we have have....
 
CrIc_Mystique said:
I wish he was my team india's coach....instead of the useless misfiring halwa Paras mhambrey we have have....
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PCB took the right step after a long long time by roping in Jason and Gary as the head coach. Jason has a big task ahead waiting for him because this team is not playing that many red ball games so the time is short and chances are pretty low for Jason.
 
Our next test Series is against South Africa in December. Gillespie got a great gig in the sense that we hardly play any Test cricket.
 
New Pakistan Test coach Gillespie to arrive next month

Pakistan's new red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie is set to land in the country next month to supervise a training camp for the home series against Bangladesh in August.

According to a reliable source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the camp will be set up in Karachi from July 24 for the probables for the national team as well as the Pakistan Shaheen side (A Team).

"Gillespie will be supervising the camp with the support staff and Shan Masood (Pakistan's Test captain) will also return early from England to prepare for the Bangladesh series in which two tests are to be played," he said.

He said some senior players are likely to be given rest from the series as Gillespie also wants to look at the back-up talent in the country. The source said that Masood has already indicated to the PCB that he wants Babar Azam in the Test team for the coming series but other senior players will be given a break.

Mohsin Naqvi is expected to hold a press conference next week to outline the major decisions of the Board in the wake of the failed World Cup campaign and also address the issues of groupings in the team.

"Naqvi is not one to shy away from being straightforward on what went wrong in the Pakistan team. Apparently Babar has also complained about the productivity of some players in the team during the World Cup and before that. "He is likely to make his complaints clear in his report to the PCB," the source said.

www.deccanherald.com

New Pakistan Test coach Gillespie to arrive next month

www.deccanherald.com www.deccanherald.com
 
Will be interesting to see what bowling attack we play in tests. I would go with:
Shaheen
Naseem
Hamza
Jamal
Abrar

Our batting tail would be long but I would hope Hamza & Abrar can slightly improve as batters.
 
Good man.

Ya Allah, please do not let Pakistan cricket ruin a person who loves cricket sincerely!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It depends on pitch I guess.

Why would you play 4 pacers on a spin-friendly track?
 
Pakistan red-ball coach Jason Gillespie speaking to reporters:

“Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are multi-format cricketers and also participate in franchise cricket. They cannot play every match. We will try to give them rest in relatively less important matches. Over the past year, Shaheen has bowled three times more than Mitchell Starc. How can he manage such a workload? We need to take care of him.”

“We will also assess the pressure on the batters. Our aim is to prepare backup. He mentioned that a camp will be set up from August 6 for preparations for the series against Bangladesh. We will announce the probables for the series by the end of this month. It has not been decided yet who will be given rest. Shan Masood will lead the Test team. He is currently playing county cricket in England. Although we have not met, we stay in touch over the phone,”

“In Lahore, I had conversations with Babar Azam and Naseem Shah. I told Babar to play his natural game freely,”
 
"He is a deep thinker...": Ponting backs Gillespie to excel as Pakistan Test coach

Legendary Australian captain and batter Ricky Ponting said that his former teammate Jason Gillespie is a "deep thinker" and backed him to do fine as the red-ball coach of the Pakistan men's team.

In April 2024, Gillespie was appointed as the head coach of Pakistan red-ball side.

Gillespie will take charge for the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against Bangladesh , followed by Tests against England and South Africa in the 2024-25 season.

Speaking on ICC review, Ponting compared the former pacer to current Indian team head coach and former opener Gautam Gambhir.

"Jason Gillespie is a bit like Gambhir. Pretty much everywhere he has been, his coaching record has been very very good. He will have some challenges I got no doubt about it. But he is a deep thinker and as I said, a quiet person that goes about it in his own way," said Gillespie.

"We have got a few WhatsApp groups over the years, all of us old guys that have played together. So everyone's congratulated him and wished him luck in that role. And look, to be honest, I am not surprised at all by the amount of changes in that group. I know it is a different format but they had a very disappointing T20 World Cup. If you are not willing to make some changes, you are expecting similar results to come your way," he added.

In his coaching career, the former Australian pacer has coached several sides in different capacities, like Indian Premier League Punjab Kings, Big Bash League side Adelaide Strikers, England counties Yorkshire and Sussex, South Australia etc.

Pakistan's Test series against Bangladesh will begin on August 21 in Rawalpindi. Meanwhile, Saud Shakeel has been named as the new Pakistan Test vice-captan ahead of the series.

The team have promoted Saud Shakeel to the role of vice-captain as the Pakistan Cricket Board announced a 17-player squad for their two-match Test series.

Pakistan currently sits in fifth place on the ICC World Test Championship standings and will be looking for a pair of positive results against Bangladesh to remain in touch with the pacesetters of the competition, as per the ICC.

HINDUSTAN TIMES
 
Seems Gillespie's wish has become a command for the PCB.

From PCB release about Abrar Ahmed/Kamran Ghulam:

"The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August. "
 
IMG-20240817-WA0041.jpg

Is it a wise decision by Jason Gillespie bearing in mind that Bangladesh have been traditionally good against spin?
 
The exclusion of Abrar Ahmed from the squad is due to Jason Gillespie? As he wanted 4 pacers in the side, and also the pitch is green for the 1st Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi
 
Why couldn't you just play a young side? It's freaking Bangladesh bhai.

Have the seniors focus on England, Australia and SA?
 
With Amir Jamal out we need to ensure that the best possible pace attack is selected to make up for our lack in batting depth

Shaheen has become a dud in test cricket, his performance in Australia showing us all that even on a supporting pitch he lacks the intelligence to bowl according to a plan. Test cricket is all about patience and tactics and unfortunately Shaheen on both fronts is equal to Wahab Riaz in that regard

Our best possible attack would thus probably be Naseem, Ali, Mir Hamza and Khurram

Now the obvious argument against that is a lack of experience. However lets remember that both Mohammad Ali and Mir Hamza are first class veterans and have much more experience bowling on the pitches of Pakistan compared to Shaheen and Naseem combined.

Naseem can stay as he imo has shown the ability to bowl to a field as well as having the skill to keep a consistent line and length

Khurram is a decent prospect and we say him take a total of 5 wickets in Perth only on his debut. With Shan as captain, Saud as vice captain and inshallah Saifi as keeper, he will have all the guidance he needs and all he needs to make sure is that he can execute
 
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Pakistan pitches Gillespie Sahib

You can play 8 pacers but, on these pitches,...
 
Rawalpindi motorway saying welcome to Jason Gillespie. Welcome JG to the land of roads.
 
Pakistan will never become a force again unless we have at least 2 good spin options available. To play at HOME with NO SPIN shows how bad we are and how low we have fallen.
 
So we're playing this stupid combination because Gillespie had a wishful thought?

That's quite professional.
 
Adam Gilchrist speaking during a podcast:

"He handles challenging and difficult situations very well. I think I may have mentioned this. Stop me if I have where years ago in India, just to get himself out of a sticky situation where we got beaten in two days in a Test match on what was an atrocious cricket pitch like simply not fit for standard, Dizzy (Jason Gillespie) was asked about it and clearly wary of any match fine or games ban

"He simply said, 'Look I can't comment on that but a mate of mine messaged me and said (that) it's the worst fu*kin pitch he's ever seen',"

"So, that's the diplomacy of Dizzy, that's his ability to deflect and make sure he shields those around him and doesn't get himself into any trouble. So I'd expect a lot of the same from the big fella,"
 
Khurram Shahzad during the press conference post day-3 of 2nd Test Between Pakistan and Bangladesh as he claimed maiden Test five wicket haul:
"Credit goes to him. He motivated me a lot and asked me to stay positive and always supported me. I definitely had support from him."
 
dont understabd why he went for Mohammad Ali.. he doesnt have any pace neither any pace which can get him any wicket so why he is in the team.. on top of that abrar is not getting any sort of turn so he is another waste of resource. it was better if they had opted all 4 pacers on this wicket.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
dont understabd why he went for Mohammad Ali.. he doesnt have any pace neither any pace which can get him any wicket so why he is in the team.. on top of that abrar is not getting any sort of turn so he is another waste of resource. it was better if they had opted all 4 pacers on this wicket.
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I agree on Ali but playing Abrar was the right decision. We are pretty garbage in spin department and Abrar is the best we got. Need to back him in all tests this year.
 
1st Test as coach

4 pacers

4th Test as coach

1 seam allrounder + 3 spinners

Foreign coaches of Pakistan always learn the hard way :ma
 
I was looking for this thread to bump! All pace to almost all spin.

3 spinners with agha aswell. I really don’t know what they’re thinking. A turning pitch with a more abrasive surface will bring reverse in too. I would have got Hasnain in there with 2 spinners.
 
hoshiarpurexpress said:
Gillespie will get some more rude shocks of the Pakistan way. He has already seen 823 runs scored of his bowlers.
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Difference in reaction is evidential

ervd1cl8_morne-morkel_625x300_21_September_24.jpg
 
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