Pakistan red-ball head coach Gillespie wants to give Test players proper chances before making changes

For next month’s first Test against England, Pakistan has retained the same squad that was beaten 2-0 at home by Bangladesh.

FILE PHOTO: Pakistan’s red-ball cricket head coach Jason Gillespie. | Photo Credit: AFP

Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie wants to give players a chance to keep their place in the Test team. But he won’t wait forever.

“If performances are not at the required level over a prolonged period, we may consider making changes,” Gillespie told the Pakistan Cricket Board’s podcast on Saturday.

For next month’s first Test against England, Pakistan has retained the same squad that was beaten 2-0 at home by Bangladesh. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who was overlooked for the Bangladesh series, has been included as a second specialist spinner with leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, the other spin option.

“What I’m learning is that the players understand my philosophy regarding selection,” Gillespie said. “We want to back and support players.”

Pakistan will go into the three-Test series against England on the back of six losses in the last 10 home Test matches while the other four were drawn. Pakistan’s run of poor results in home Test matches included a 3-0 whitewash against England in 2022. One of those defeats came at Multan, which will host back-to-back Test matches with the first one starting from Oct. 7.

Gillespie had a shocking start as a head coach when underdogs Bangladesh dominated Pakistan in the two Test matches at Rawalpindi, which will host the third and final Test against England from October 24.

Pakistan batting had long been struggling in Test matches — especially star batter Babar Azam, who has managed a top score of 41 in his last 16 Test innings. Skipper Shan Masood has been retained as captain for the first Test against England despite the left-handed batter having lost five straight Test matches since being elevated to captain last year.

FILE PHOTO: Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood (R) and head coach Jason Gillespie (L) during the second day of the second Test against Bangladesh. | Photo Credit: AFP

“A lot of people are writing us off (against England), and that’s OK, that’s fine,” Gillespie said. “It will only motivate our boys a little bit more. We’ll go out and do our jobs as best we can, and hopefully, the results will take care of themselves.”

Gillespie was well aware of England’s ‘Bazball’ approach to Test cricket which has seen them plundering runs at an electrifying pace against all sorts of bowling attacks.

“I don’t particularly like the term Bazball, but they do play aggressive cricket,” Gillespie said. “We’ve seen them evolve their game … (but) we will play our way, striving to be a consistent and disciplined team that hangs in there and strikes at the right moment to drive the game forward and exploit gaps.”

Pakistan let Bangladesh sneak into the second Test match from a precarious 26-6 in the first innings as the visitors completed a 2-0 rout with a seven-wicket win. Gillespie said he wanted to see Pakistan being ruthless once it gains an advantage in a Test match.

“Once you gain the advantage, you have to find a way to maintain it and not let the opposition back into the game,” he said. “We must shut that door and stay well ahead.”

Kamran Ghulam, a prolific run-getter in Pakistan’s domestic cricket, wasn’t picked for the first Test, and fast bowler Mohammad Ali was dropped.

“Look, all players are disappointed when they miss out. I’d be surprised if they weren’t,” Gillespie said. “I’m relatively new to this role and I’ve only been involved in two Test matches. That’s not a big enough sample size to make long-term decisions on players. I’d rather show my support and backing for them at this stage.”