ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie said on Saturday that the national cricket squad required “a bit more ruthlessness” and can’t afford to be complacent when they take on England in the upcoming three-match Test series next month.
Pakistan suffered a historic 2-0 whitewash at home against Bangladesh earlier this month, putting more pressure on skipper Shan Masood who has lost five matches on the trot as captain since January this year.
The green shirts lost both matches against Bangladesh despite being in commanding positions at various points in the series. In the first Test, Pakistan lost after declaring their first innings at 448-6 while in the second match, the hosts had Bangladesh on the ropes at 26-6 before Liton Das hit a spectacular century to rescue his team.
Speaking to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Gillespie noted that while Pakistan played impressive cricket with both bat and ball in the series, it allowed Bangladesh to “get into the game” and capitalize at key moments during the series.
“So, what we need is a bit more ruthlessness,” he said. “When we’re ahead, we need to stay ahead and make sure we really drive home that advantage.”
The former Australian fast bowler said Pakistan needs to “minimize those poor periods and maximize the good ones.”
“It boils down to being disciplined, patient, and ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself,” Gillespie said. “When we see the gap, we need to go for it and capitalize on those key moments.”
As criticism over the recent string of poor performances by the Pakistan team mounts, Gillespie urged fans and critics both to back the national squad during its tough time.
“These players are very, very talented cricketers,” he said. “We just need to give them the backing, love and support to show them that we’re right behind them. It’s an exciting time.”
England will play a three-match Test series against Pakistan from Oct. 7-28.
England Men’s Test Squad:
Ben Stokes, Durham, Captain; Rehan Ahmed, Leicestershire; Gus Atkinson, Surrey; Shoaib Bashir, Somerset; Harry Brook, Yorkshire; Brydon Carse, Durham; Jordan Cox, Essex; Zak Crawley, Kent; Ben Duckett, Nottinghamshire; Josh Hull, Leicestershire; Jack Leach, Somerset; Ollie Pope, Surrey; Matthew Potts, Durham; Joe Root, Yorkshire; Jamie Smith, Surrey; Olly Stone, Nottinghamshire; Chris Woakes, Warwickshire
Pakistan Men’s Test Squad:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mahmood
