Gillespie Reflects on Coaching Lessons Amid Pakistan's Defeat to Bangladesh

Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie shares his coaching lesson from the series loss to Bangladesh. He believes Shaheen Shah Afridi should have prioritized family during the first Test. Gillespie also emphasizes showing faith in the current squad and improving player fitness ahead of their series against England.

Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie has revealed a significant lesson he learned during their recent 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh. Just a week before Pakistan's opening Test match against Bangladesh, star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and his wife, Ansha Afridi, welcomed their newborn son, Ali Yar.

Despite doubts over Afridi's availability, he played the opening Test. Reflecting on this, Gillespie believes Afridi should have prioritized his family. 'I learned a valuable lesson as a coach when Shaheen's wife was due to give birth. My initial thought was for him not to play and spend time with his family. However, Shaheen was intent on playing. In hindsight, I should have insisted on allowing him that important family time,' Gillespie stated to Geo News.

Pakistan lost the opening Test, leading to Shaheen and Naseem Shah being dropped for the second and final red-ball game of the series. The historical defeat marked Pakistan's first Test series loss to Bangladesh. Ahead of the upcoming three-match Test series against England, Pakistan has announced a squad similar to the one that played against Bangladesh, aiming to instill confidence and faith in the current team.

Gillespie is keen to support the squad's potential. 'We picked a squad similar to what we had against Bangladesh. We want to show faith and belief in our players,' he expressed. Emphasizing stability, Gillespie added, 'We don't want knee-jerk reactions after a bad game. These players are good, and they've shown glimpses of quality cricket.'

Additionally, Gillespie highlighted the importance of player fitness, a topic criticized since last year's ODI World Cup in India. After discussions with white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, Gillespie concluded that player fitness is controllable and essential for performing in Test cricket. 'Fitness has been flagged in the media. It is something we can control and improve,' he commented.

The upcoming series against England starts on October 7 in Multan, with subsequent Tests on October 15 and from October 24-28.

(With inputs from agencies.)