Pakistan coach Gillespie reveals reason behind omission of Shaheen, Naseem from second Test against Bangladesh
Sep 02, 2024
Rawalpindi [Pakistan], September 2 : Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie spilt out the beans on the exclusion of the star pace duo of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from their playing XI of the second Test against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh are comfortably sitting in the driver's seat after the stumps were called on Day 4. Despite rain impeding the day's play, Bangladesh are just 143 runs away from clinching a historic clean sweep over the hosts.
After playing a starring role in the first innings, Pakistan's bowling attack looked toothless in front of free-firing Bangladesh's opening duo.
After the end of Day 4, one of the hot topics of discussion was the reason behind the exclusion of Naseem and Shaheen.
Gillespie stated that the team was picked after analysing the surface's nature for the entire Test.
"So we looked at conditions and what we thought was the best combination. Taking into account what we saw before the game, reflected on the previous game, and this is where we landed. In the first innings, if you at one point saw, we had Bangladesh in a bit of straw. We bowled quite well, and the line and length were excellent," Gillespie said at the end of the day's conference.
While highlighting that the team is not looking to rely on individuals, the iconic Australian pacer stated that he wants to see Shaheen peak and start firing at the top level.
"There are a few things that we are hoping Shaheen can work on. He had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. We want Shaheen Afridi to be at his very best for as much cricket as possible. He is an all-format player, and we have a pretty heavy schedule, and we want him to be fit and firing," he said.
"We are trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on a few players. We want to create an environment and squad where we can look at conditions, look at what is coming up and make the best and informed decisions," Gillespie noted.
Bangladesh ended Day 4 with a score of 42/0, with Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam unbeaten with scores of 31(23)* and 9(19)*, respectively.
