Tag: Jason Gillespie

Former Australia pace bowler Jason Gillespie recently shared his experience of working with star batter Babar Azam during his tenure as the red-ball head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team.

Gillespie was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, last week he stepped down from the role unexpectedly ahead of the much-awaited Test series against South Africa.

After his sudden departure, he made shocking revelations about his time with the Green Shirts during an interview with Australian media. However, he heaped high praise on Babar, despite the right-handed batter’s below-par form during Gillespie’s tenure.

“Babar is a very driven individual. He works so hard on his game; he’s an elite player. A fantastic player, one of the best players I’ve been fortunate enough to work with,” he stated.

Jason Gillespie highlighted Babar’s intense dedication during practice sessions, noting that he consistently pushes himself to meet high training standards.

“I really enjoyed working with him. He sets high standards, not only for himself but also for his teammates,” he added.

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“It’s almost like he expects the same standards of everyone that he sets himself. He trains incredibly hard and keeps himself incredibly fit, robust, and strong.

“He works tirelessly on his game, whether it be his batting, his fielding, or even his offices [off-spin bowling] in case he’s called up to bowl. He’s a great cricket tragic and a great team man who works incredibly hard.”

When questioned about the circumstances surrounding Babar’s removal from the Test team during his tenure,

Gillespie clarified that he played no role in the decision to drop Babar Azam after the first Test against England. He emphasized that this decision was entirely made by the selection committee without his input.

“The decision was made by the selectors [to drop him], I had been removed from that process, and the decision was made to not play him [against England],” he concluded.

It’s worth noting that Jason Gillespie started his tenure as Pakistan head coach with the home Test series defeat against Bangladesh. However, in his second assignment, Pakistan bounced back and defeated England 2-1.

READ: South Africa captain to miss first ODI against Pakistan, replacement named

Former Australia pace bowler Jason Gillespie recently revealed the reasons behind his shocking resignation as the red-ball head coach of Pakistan men’s cricket team.

Gillespie was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, last week he stepped down from the role unexpectedly ahead of the much-awaited Test series against South Africa.

Numerous reports circulated in the media about the reasons for Gillespie’s sudden exit, but he revealed the actual reasons in a recent interview with Australian media.

“When I went into the job, I want to make that very clear, I knew that Pakistan had been through a cycle of a number of coaches in a short period of time,” said Gillespie.

“I put my case forward and explained how I felt I could help. You want to create an environment where players are relaxed but focused. I felt that the Test side were very much on track doing that.”

However, the PCB’s decision to unceremoniously part ways with Tim Nielsen, the High-Performance Coach, without any prior communication with Gillespie, led to him stepping down from his role.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer, and I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have High-Performance coach Tim Nielsen,” the former pacer explained.

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“He was told that his services were no longer required, and I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that.

“This situation, along with past incidents, made me question whether I was truly needed. Not informing the head coach about such a major decision compelled me to think this way.”

It’s worth noting that Gillespie’s tenure saw several changes in his responsibilities. Earlier, he was part of the selection committee along with captain Shan Masood.

However, after a disastrous start to his tenure, the PCB removed the head coach and captain from the selection committee after the appointment of Aleem Dar, Aqib Javed and Azhar Ali as selectors.

“What I felt was my opportunity to help Pakistan cricket was diminished by the reduced role, in essence, basically hitting catches, and that was about it on the morning of a game,” Gillespie further stated.

“You want to be able to have clear communication with all stakeholders, with selectors, for instance, knowing what the team is as head coach well before the game, before that, at least the day before the game, so you can help plan and prepare.

“Those sorts of things proved to be quite difficult and made it untenable.”

It’s worth noting that Jason Gillespie started his tenure as Pakistan head coach with the home Test series defeat against Bangladesh. However, in his second assignment, Pakistan bounced back and defeated England 2-1.

READ: PCB reacts to Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim’s retirement

Pakistan red-ball coach Jason Gillespie has refused to travel to South Africa where Pakistan is scheduled to play a two-match Test series, ARY News reported, citing sources.

According to sources, the former Australian pacer took the decision after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) removed Tim Nielsen from his role as assistant coach.

Reports had earlier said that the PCB decided against extending Tim Nielsen’s contract, leading Jason Gillespie to re-evaluate his own position as the Pakistan red-ball coach.

As per sources, Gillespie was taken aback by the PCB’s decision and has now refused to travel to South Africa to join the Pakistan side.

Meanwhile, sources indicated that Jason Gillespie has resigned from the post and the PCB will soon accept his resignation from his role as Pakistan red-ball coach.

According to sources, the PCB is likely to appoint an interim red-ball coach for the upcoming PAK v SA Test series.

It is worth noting here that the Pakistan team is currently on the South Africa tour where the T20I series between the national side and the hosts is underway.

Following the conclusion of the PAK v SA T20I and ODI series, Pakistan and South Africa are set to engage in a two-match Test series, which will kick off in Centurion on December 26.

The second PAK v SA Test is scheduled for January 3 in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada and batter Heinrich Klaasen returned as South Africa announced the squad for the three-match PAK v SA home ODI series.

David Miller, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, who last played an ODI almost a year ago, are included in the South Africa squad.

READ: Tim Nielsen removed as Pakistan’s assistant coach

Jason Gillespie, the interim white-ball head coach of Pakistan, heaped high praise on fast bowler Haris Rauf for his stellar performance during the ODI series against Australia.

Pakistan, under newly-appointed captain Mohammad Rizwan, defeated Australia in the third ODI by eight wickets in Perth to win their first series Down Under since 2002.

The visitors lost the first match of the three-match series by two wickets, however, they staged an impressive comeback to win the series 2-1.

Haris Rauf was the standout performer for Pakistan in the series, taking 10 wickets at an impressive average of 12.00, which earned him the Player of the Series award.

Jason Gillespie while addressing the Australian media commended Rauf’s impressive performance.

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He emphasized how Pakistan’s fast bowlers skillfully took advantage of Australia’s difficulties throughout the series.

“What we saw in this series is our bowling, especially Haris Rauf, exposed some flaws in Australian batting,” he stated.

However, he also mentioned that Australia would address these issues and learn from the lessons.

“I believe the Australian team will look to right some wrongs and improve some things. That’s what good players and good teams do. You learn, adjust and adapt and be ready for the next challenge,” he added.

The teams will now face each other in the first T20I on November 14 in Brisbane, with the next matches scheduled for November 16 and 18 in Sydney and Hobart, respectively.

Squads for Pakistan-Australia T20I series

Australia: Josh Inglis (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Philippe, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan: Muhammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

READ: Vikrant Gupta opens up on Pakistan giving up Champions Trophy hosting rights

Jason Gillespie, the head coach for Pakistan’s red-ball team, will take on additional responsibilities as the interim head coach for the white-ball format during the upcoming tour of Australia.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the decision through a post on their official X (formerly Twitter) account.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted,” the cricket board posted.

Gillespie was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the red-ball head coach, while Gary Kirsten was roped in as the white-ball head coach in April 2024.

However, Kirsten has resigned from the post following his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe.

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It’s worth noting that previously head coach and captain of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.

However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten.

Moreover, the PCB announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 international season, along with the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe. The reports suggest that Kirsten expressed his disagreements over the squads.

The cricket board also appointed wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan as the captain for Pakistan’s white-ball team ahead of the upcoming tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.

The Australia tour will run from 4-18 November, while the matches in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will be played from 24 November to 5 December.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain and will lead the team in Rizwan’s absence during the T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan Squad for Australia Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

T20I SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan

Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir

T20I SQUAD: Salman Ali Agha (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan

READ: Mohammad Amir reacts to Fakhar Zaman’s exclusion from Pakistan squad

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie on Thursday, expressed his confidence in the ability of star batter Babar Azam to make a strong comeback in all formats.

Babar has been under tight scrutiny due to his below-par performances recently. He crashed out of the top ten list in the ICC Test Batting Rankings last month after a forgettable home Test series against Bangladesh, where he managed a meagre 64 runs in four innings.

Meanwhile, in the first Test against England, he scored 35 runs in two innings after which he was dropped from the squad for the remainder of the series.

Babar was replaced by consistent domestic performer Kamran Ghulam, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands and smashed a century in his very first innings, which turned out to be pivotal in Pakistan’s 152-run victory over England in the second Test.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie expects Babar Azam to continue playing a “huge role” for the Green Shirts and scoring lots of runs on his comeback.

“Well again, I. I cannot answer that because I’m not a selector. But what I will say is that Babar is a fine player. I think he’s one of the best players in the world. And, yeah, he had a bit of a lean, lean patch, but I don’t think, but I don’t think many great players around the world have never had a lean patch,” Gillespie said.

“I’m very confident. Babar Will will be back scoring a lot of runs for Pakistan in all formats. He’s just too good a player. He works really, really hard in his game. He’s very precise with his preparation and what he needs to do to get ready. I fully expect him to have a huge role, going forward in the next little while for Pakistan,” he added.

READ: Mohammad Amir comes out in support of Babar Azam

Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie has opened up about his role in the team management after the recent changes in the selection committee.

Previously head coach and captain of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.

However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board [PCB] has confirmed the recomposition of the men’s national selection committee. It now includes Aleem Dar, Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali and Hasan Cheema as voting members,” the PCB stated.

Jason Gillespie addressed the changes and explained his role during the press conference in Rawalpindi ahead of the third Test against England.

“The PCB came in after that (first) Test match. It was decided that a new selection panel would come in, and they would be making decisions,” said Gillespie.

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“I wasn’t involved in the decision-making. I’m now just the coach for matchday strategy, so I just keep out of things now and just focus on the players and getting them ready for cricket.”

The former Australian pacer stated that he is only focused on creating team strategy and has nothing to do with the team selection.

“Look, it’s not for me to talk about now. I am not a selector; I am a matchday strategist as head coach, and I’m all about the players,” he added.

“My focus is on them. I will let the selectors do their job, and we will just go out there and play the best cricket we can possibly play.”

It’s worth noting that Pakistan have announced an unchanged Playing XI for the third Test, while England have added an additional spinner to take advantage of the conditions.

Pakistan Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

READ: Michael Atherton skeptical about Rawalpindi pitch mirroring Multan conditions

Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie won hearts on Tuesday after a video went viral, showing him picking up empty bottles after a training session in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium ahead of the upcoming third Test against England.

In a heartwarming viral video, Jason Gillespie was seen cleaning the environment around the practice nets by personally picking up discarded plastic bottles.

He carefully gathered the litter, showing his commitment to cleanliness, and disposed of it in a nearby dustbin.

Fans praised Gillespie for his commendable manners and dedication to maintaining a clean space following Pakistan’s practice session at the venue.

The three-match Test series is currently levelled 1-1 and the deciding third match will be played from 24 October to 28 October at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 47 runs in the series opener. The home side made an array of changes for the remainder of the series, including dropping their star batter Babar Azam and ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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Domestic performer Kamran Ghulam made his long-awaited debut during the second Test against England, while spin bowlers Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood made their return to the Test side.

The changes proved fruitful as Kamran scored a century on his debut, while Sajid and Noman shared 20 wickets to steer Pakistan to their first Test victory at home since February 2021.

READ: New Zealand batter shatters Travis Head’s record for fastest List A double century

Jason Gillespie, the red-ball head coach of Pakistan, has urged the fans to remain patient after the crushing loss in the first Test against England in Multan.

The home team suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 47 runs, becoming the first team to be defeated by an innings after scoring more than 500 runs in one of the innings.

The stunning loss extended Pakistan’s losing streak to six consecutive Test matches, however, Gillespie has been in charge for only three of them.

He was appointed as the head coach of Pakistan’s Test team in April and in his first assignment, the Green Shirts were whitewashed by Bangladesh in the home series last month.

While talking to the media after the Multan Test, Gillespie emphasized that it’s still early days for the team under his management, urging fans and critics to be patient.

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“Please understand that this management, myself included, this is our 3rd Test. It’s very early for us in this space,” said Gillespie.

“We’ve looked at past performances and we’re looking at performances right now. Sometimes players are better players when they aren’t in the team.

“Everyone is crying out for change. I understand that; people want to see results and performances.”

Jason Gillespie also defended his team, showing confidence in players’ skills. However, he acknowledged the need to adapt according to the match situations.

“We’ve got some very fine players in the dressing room. Skill levels aren’t the issue. We just need to make sure we’re in the game and adjusting and adapting in-game, finding solutions there,” he shared.

READ: Shan Masood defends Babar Azam despite bad form

Jason Gillespie, the head coach of Pakistan’s red-ball team, has acknowledged that his team need to be ruthless in the upcoming Test series against England.

The three-match series between Pakistan and England will run from October 7 to 28 and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.

It’s worth noting that this will be Pakistan’s second Test series under Jason Gillespie. In his first series as the red-ball head coach, the Green Shirts suffered a disappointing 2-0 series loss at the hands of Bangladesh.

During an appearance at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast, Gillespie expressed his disappointment over the series loss against Bangladesh.

“We showed glimpses of quality in the Test series against Bangladesh, where we were really driving the game forward. However, we didn’t sustain it long enough,” he stated.

“When we allowed our opponents to get back into the game, they capitalized and pulled ahead. That’s where we let ourselves down.”

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The former Australian fast bowler emphasized the importance of the Green Shirts adopting a relentless and aggressive approach to their cricket.

“What we need is a bit more ruthlessness. When we’re ahead, we need to stay ahead and make sure we drive home that advantage,” he stressed.

Jason Gillespie also defended the selection of Pakistan’s squad for the first Test against England. He emphasized the importance of backing players and maintaining stability in the team rather than implementing drastic changes.

“The players understand my philosophy regarding selection. We want to back and support them. Of course, if performances are not at the required level over a prolonged period, we may consider changes,” he shared

READ: Pakistan to hold training camp for England Tests from 2 October