Pakistan bowlers will turn it around, says Gillespie

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie hopes that weather permitting his bowlers will turn it around for Pakistan on Tuesday (today), the final day of the Test series against Bangladesh at the Pindi Stadium.

During a media talk following the eventful fourth day, Pakistan’s head coach said he was hopeful of staging a recovery on the last day. “I am confident that if my bowlers bowl well, Pakistan have good chances of snatching the initiative back from Bangladesh on Tuesday morning,” he said.

On the reasons as to why the batting line-up could not click, he said that a few batsmen got off to good starts but could not succeed in making their innings count. “We are looking at each and every aspect and discussing these things with the team members. We want to remove these loopholes as early as possible in an effort to stage recovery at Test level. We have got some quality stuff in our dressing room. The best thing is that we are working hard and hopefully we will get positive results in the near future.”

Jason Gillespie praised Bangladesh for playing good cricket. “Bangladesh played well. No question. Those guys got it really well. But I know that our bowlers can do better in that situation than what they showed. And, you know, we had a good discussion about it. And we just need to make sure that the execution is absolutely back on track.”

On Shaheen Shah Afridi’s absence from the Test, Jason said, “We have picked the most suitable bowling combination for the Test. We are working on a few things as far as Shaheen is concerned. He’s obviously had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. So, all that being considered, we want Shaheen Afridi to be at his very best for as much cricket as possible.

“And I think what we’ve got to understand is that we’re trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on, you know, a few players. We want to create an environment in a squad where we can look at conditions, look at surfaces and make the best decisions. And we want to make sure we put our best foot forward each and every time we get to play.”

On Babar Azam’s inability to make sizeable contributions for the country in Test cricket, especially during the last two years, he said: “Look Babar is a world class player. I’m really confident that we’re going to see Babar score some big runs very soon. He probably hasn’t converted his starts that he’s got. He’s too good a player and, looking forward to seeing him scoring runs very soon.”

Pakistan team head coach was optimistic about Pakistan cricketers coming up well in near future. “All the players, putting the time and effort in, to identify ways to be even better. You know, that’s what I’m really proud of, this group of players we have. I’m getting to know these guys and, learning about, you know, what they’re about, what makes them play better each time they land at the wicket. I love their work ethic with their cricket and with their skills. They’re striving hard each and every day to get better.”