KARACHI: Australian cricket great Jason Gillespie, who has been appointed as Pakistan's head coach for red-ball cricket, will soon join the Green Shirts.
The former cricketer identified consistency and discipline along with a team mentality as key to success as he said he was ready to begin his journey with Pakistan.
In an exclusive interview with Geographic newsGillespie also emphasized managing player workloads and said it's important not to burn out players.
Gillespie was appointed Pakistan's head coach for the longest format of the game, alongside Gary Kirsten at the helm of white-ball cricket. The Australian said he has and will communicate with Kirsten about managing the players' workload.
He also confirmed that he will be arriving in Pakistan soon and there will be a camp for Test format players.
“I will spend a bit of time in Pakistan and observe the players in a domestic environment,” he said when asked if he will be in Pakistan quite often as he has the additional job of a selector.
“I really want to get to Pakistan. We hope to have a camp coming up soon that will incorporate some physical work and then some skill development, leading up to the two Tests against Bangladesh.
“So, putting together what that camp looks like, what the schedule is, and then we'll go from there, but we're very excited. And I'm looking forward to getting to Pakistan and meeting everyone at the PCB and meeting all the players.” , he added.
The Australian said his method will include using maximum tools to find out which player is perfect to play against a given opponent and under certain conditions.
He also made it clear that there will be a rotation policy to avoid player burnout.
“We will also make sure we look after all our players, particularly our multi-format players, we have to be very careful not to tire them out because we want them to play the best they can for Pakistan each.” and every time they go out to the park. If that means the players are going to rest from time to time, then we have to do it,” he said.
“It's not just the work days, but the training, the travel and all those things combined. We don't want to burn our players out, we want to make sure that every time they step onto the park representing Pakistan, they are shooting, they are strong, robust and ready to give it their all. That's why we really need a team mentality.
“We can't rely on the same 11 players playing day in and day out all year round, we have to make sure we have a team mentality. I don't want players coming in 70% ready for a trial match.” “I would prefer them to be at their best to give them the best chance to perform well for Pakistan, which is really important to me,” Gillespie added.
He confirmed that he has already had conversations with white-ball coach Gary Kirsten and the selectors about it and insisted that the coaching staff must be very clear with the players, since they are the assets.
“We have a duty to take care of these boys. And if we just log in and play them every single game, in three formats, particularly the all-format players, then we would be setting them up to fail, and we don't want to set anyone up. fail, we want to give our players the best chance to succeed,” said the red-ball coach of the Pakistan cricket team.
“And if that means we need to rest them and take care of them and give them a break from a series or give them a break from a game here and there.”
Responding to a question, Gillespie said he knows the by-products that come with coaching the Pakistan cricket team and comes to this position with his eyes wide open.
“I am realistic and understand that you may have some bumps in the road from time to time, but hopefully the plan will be to minimize them and maximize smooth sailing and that will only come through hard work and consistent discipline. And you will certainly see that the Pakistan team that I am involved in will be a very committed and disciplined unit,” he stated.
When asked if he is a fan of England's brand of Test cricket, 'Bazball', and would like Pakistan to replicate that, the Australian said that each team plays to its own strength. He added that he would prefer others to see how Pakistan is playing rather than Pakistan trying to see what others have been doing.
The red ball head coach of Pakistan team mentioned that he wants Pakistan cricketers to adapt.
“I think it's about meeting the group of players and identifying how they want to be perceived, how they want to play the style of cricket. So I hope to have those conversations with the captain, with the players, with the support staff about how we want to play and ultimately we want people to look at us and see what we are doing rather than everyone looking to copy the players. the rest. 'styles,' he said.
“For us, it's about going out and being very disciplined, being consistent and if we can do those two things it will go a long way towards playing some very good Test cricket.”
“What we need is to be very adaptable to any conditions and opposition that come our way. In theory it might be good to say that we are going to score five runs in a row, but the situation and conditions may not allow that to happen. I want us to be a very adaptable team and to be able to adapt and play on different surfaces against different opponents.
I think as long as the players in the locker room and the coaches in our locker room are very clear about how we want to approach it. “I think that’s the absolute key for me, just absolute role clarity, going out there and executing our skills,” he said.
Talking about Pakistan's chances in the ICC Test Championship and being among the top two teams, the coach said it will be a challenge and Pakistan will opt to plan one series at a time.
“I mentioned discipline, I mentioned consistency because the talent is there, the skills are there, can we couple that talent with the work ethic, the desire, the attitude, all of these things to make sure that we are giving ourselves the best opportunity to be successful.” ? successful and I am sure we can do it. “We want to make sure we are the best prepared team possible,” he added.
Replying to another question, Jason Gillespie said that Pakistan can always learn from its opponent and should go into every match with an open mind to see how good other teams have been doing.
“I'm not going to come in and say we have to play like an Australian team. I want us to play like a Pakistan team. And if we can learn some lessons from every time we play any team, little bits of information that can help us be a better team,” he said.
He said fans are the “twelfth man” of the Pakistan team but also urged them to continue supporting the team through thick and thin.
“I want the fans to be proud of this team and support me through thick and thin. We're going to have some really good days and some not so good days.
“But I urge Pakistan fans to get behind the boys and support them as much as they can because the players need that positive energy, if we can get a lot of positive energy and positive vibes from our great fans then I think that will be enough.” infect the players.
“If we can have the Pakistani fans celebrating the team and being part of the team, that will certainly help us be successful. There is no doubt that our fans can be our 12th man, who will be a great support for the boys, in the tough times. And fine, in the good times and the bad times, if the players know that the fans are there for them and are excited to see the team do well, then you will see that the players will really benefit from that,” he concluded. .
