Pakistan's new head coach Jason Gillespie Jason Gillespie wants his “gifted” players to remain “authentic” and not adapt their playing style to a specific method. He says they just have to stay positive and aggressive to get through the grind of Test cricket. Pakistan on Sunday appointed former Australian bowler Gillespie as coach of the men's Test squad and also roped in former South African batsman Gary Kirsten, who guided India to the ODI world title in 2011, for guidance in the white-ball format. Gillespie, 49, who coached Yorkshire to the County Championship title in 2014 and 2015, has signed a two-year contract. “I just want the Pakistani cricket team to play the style of cricket that suits them; for me that is important. My philosophy is: don't try to be something you are not!” Gillespie was quoted as saying in a Pakistan Cricket Board podcast.
“You have to be authentic in the way you go about it. I'll go out there and say, just be positive, be aggressive and be entertaining. Play with a smile on your face and entertain our fans.
“There will be times when you have to grind it out, and that's what Test cricket is. It's a test of your skills, mental capacity and patience. There are times to attack and times to put some periods of cricket on to sniff at the opposition,” he said.
Gillespie, who represented Australia in 71 Tests and 97 ODIs and picked up 259 and 142 wickets respectively, said Pakistan boasts of skilled players but consistency is something they need to work on.
“If we can be as consistent as we can, hopefully the scoreboard will take care of itself and we can get some wins. When I watch Pakistan play from a distance, I know they are very gifted and skilled players.
But sometimes you also hear the commentators talking about their inconsistencies, how Pakistan can be more consistent and stay in the matches for longer. I will talk to the players about this because the players have to decide how they want to see themselves and how we can make that happen.
“I see talented and exciting players from a hitting perspective. Many of them are very good shot makers, very technically skilled players.
“You have fast bowlers who run in and bowl fast and swing the ball. You have spinners who spin the ball hard. For me, it's quite exciting to have a Test squad that has all these resources,” he added to it.
Gillespie knows the challenges and expectations that come with it.
“The opportunity to be head coach of the Pakistan Test squad is fantastic. It's an honour. I've been coaching in various roles around the world for a while now, but one thing I haven't done yet is coach an international Test Then This opportunity arose, I took it.
“Hopefully I can help the team progress, improve and play some nice cricket. Coaching Pakistan is an exciting job. I mean, the talent is there, and there are a lot of very skilled cricketers. But there is some inconsistency at I also think I can help in some way to give the team clarity on how it goes about playing Test cricket.' Gillespie will also have an added responsibility of playing the role of selector.
“I am excited to be part of the selection committee. Throughout my coaching career I have had a role as a selector. It all comes down to clarity and communication. I look forward to working with everyone on the selection committee as well as the captain , I feel good and will build a strong bond and a strong relationship and go from there.” Gillespie will be hoping to make an impact during his time in Pakistan cricket.
“What I do know is that in my time with Pakistan you will see that I will be very transparent and very open. The team will go out and play the way we want to play. I want to give the players a chance.” a lot of ownership of the team and how they go about it. We will play as a team and have fun.
“I just hope that in my time with Pakistan we will do our best. We are certainly not here just to compete; we are here to win. And I will do my best to help facilitate that.” ”, he concluded.
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