Home Cricket Facts Jason Gillespie’s philosophy for Pakistan: “Don’t try to be something you’re not”

Jason Gillespie’s philosophy for Pakistan: “Don’t try to be something you’re not”

0
Jason Gillespie’s philosophy for Pakistan: “Don’t try to be something you’re not”


Jason Gillespie’s CV makes him a strong candidate for most coaching jobs, but there is no doubt that in Pakistan his nationality also carries weight. Pakistan’s admiration for, and in some cases obsession with, the Australian style of play has seen them look to the country for roles as diverse as dressing room mentors or curators. Just a few weeks earlier, they named Shane Watson their top candidate for the white-ball coach job, but he withdrew. Gillespie has since been the first choice for Test coach and a deal is believed to have been agreed weeks ago with him and Gary Kirsten, who takes over as white-ball coach.

But Gillespie has not become a respected coach who tells teams what they want to hear, and in his first comments since his appointment, he warned that Pakistan should not simply try to emulate Australia or any other team. “My philosophy is: don’t try to be something you’re not,” he said in a podcast to the PCB’s internal media channel. “I just want the Pakistan cricket team to play the style of cricket that suits them best – for me, that’s important.

“You have to be authentic in the way you do it. I’ll come out and say: be positive, aggressive and entertaining. Play with a smile on your face and entertain our fans. There will be times when you have to push yourself, and that’s what which is Test Cricket – it’s a test of your skills, mental ability and patience. There are times to attack and times to absorb some periods of opposition cricket. If we are as consistent as we can, hopefully the score will sort itself out and we can. get some wins.”

The former Australian fast bowler has had various coaching roles since last playing international cricket in 2006. Most successfully, Gillespie was head coach of Yorkshire from 2011 to 2016, overseeing their promotion from the second division in their first season and won back to regained titles in 2014 and 2015. He also took on T20 coaching roles with Punjab Kings and Adelaide Strikers, as well as Sussex and South Australia.

“The opportunity to be the head coach of the Pakistan Test team is fantastic,” he said. “It’s an honour. I’ve been coaching for quite some time in various roles around the world, but one thing I haven’t done is coach an international trial team. “When this opportunity came up, I jumped at it.

“The way Pakistan plays and the talented and skilled players Pakistan have, it’s great to be part of the team and hopefully I can help the team progress, improve and play some entertaining cricket.”

Gary Kirsten has three ICC events in the next two years as Pakistan white-ball coach

Gary Kirsten has three ICC events in the next two years as Pakistan white-ball coachfake images

Kirsten also spoke to the PCB and called it a “wonderful privilege” to be offered the job as Pakistan’s white-ball coach. “I think Pakistan is among the top four or five coaching positions in the world internationally,” she said. “The important thing is that I have the opportunity to work with some of the best cricketers in the world and that excites me.”

Kirsten had arguably the most high-profile coaching job in the world when he was appointed India coach in 2008, and ended his tenure on the shoulders of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who lifted him up for a lap of honor after India won the ODI 2011. World Cup. If he finishes his current two-year contract, he will oversee Pakistan in three ICC white-ball events: two T20 World Cups and a home Champions Trophy in 2025.

“The important thing for me is to understand where the team is and where we want to go, whether it’s winning the World Cup, which, by the way, is not easy. Often some people think that you just collaborate and let’s win the championship. .

“But if you can win one of those three ICC events, it will be an amazing achievement in itself, whether it’s in the next event or two years from now. My job is to make sure the team operates in the best possible way, it’s that way. simple. And if the team is performing at its best, we will always have a good chance of winning a trophy.

“So for me, it’s important to understand where the team is now and where it needs to go to be able to compete at the top of the rankings, and that is to win ICC events. You can’t guarantee a trophy, but what can you do?” to do is implement the steps to give myself the best chance of winning a trophy and that’s really what I’ll tend to do.”

Danyal Rasool is Pakistan correspondent for ESPNcricinfo. @danny61000