PAKISTAN:
Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has publicly backed captain Shan Masood following the team’s disappointing 2-0 Test series loss to Bangladesh.
Gillespie praised Masood’s leadership despite the team’s recent struggles.
“Shan has led the side very well. We just haven’t played well as a team and that’s the reality,” Gillespie said after the series ended.
The series saw Bangladesh secure a historic whitewash, as Pakistan’s home Test performances continued to falter.
Issues such as inconsistent team play and a lack of cohesion have been evident.
Gillespie addressed these concerns head-on, stating, “We need to sharpen up on certain areas, and we will sharpen up”.
“I really want to back and believe in these players; they are good enough and have shown glimpses of how good we are. We just need to do it more often and consistently.”
In the final match, Bangladesh chased down a target of 185 with relative ease. Zakir Hasan provided a solid start with 40 runs from 39 balls before being dismissed. Contributions from Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) and Mominul Haque (34) helped set up the victory, while veterans Mushfiqur Rahim (22*) and Shakib Al Hasan (21*) guided their team to complete the chase.
Jason Gillespie, the red-ball head coach of Pakistan, is set to depart for Australia after the conclusion of the second and final Test against Bangladesh, according to sources.
Gillespie, along with the team’s high-performance coach Tim Nielsen, is scheduled to leave Pakistan on Wednesday (tomorrow).
The second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh is currently underway in Rawalpindi, where the hosts are on the cusp of a historic clean sweep.
Prior to this series, Bangladesh had never defeated Pakistan in a Test match.
Meanwhile, Jason Gillespie and Tim Nielsen will return to Pakistan ahead of the pre-series training camp for the series against England.
