"I can now say that he has become a Pakistani coach" - Basit Ali on Jason Gillespie's press conference ahead of PAK vs BAN 2024 2nd Test
Basit Ali recently reacted to the comments made by Pakistan's red-ball coach Jason Gillespie at the pre-match press conference ahead of the side's second Test of the ongoing home series against Bangladesh. He mentioned that Gillespie sounded like a true Pakistani coach.
The former cricketer opined that Gillespie may have taken some feedback from Australia's Jeff Lawson and Shaun Tait, who have had stints as coaches with the Men in Green. Speaking in his latest YouTube video, Basit remarked (from 3:46):
"Jason Gillespie was an Australian cricketer, but now he has become a Pakistani coach. He has taken classes from Jeff Lawson and Shaun Tait. From today's press conference, I can now say that Jason Gillespie has become a Pakistani coach. It was very clear from the statements he made at the press conference."
Pakistan suffered a 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the Test series opener. They have made a big change to their lineup for the must-win second and final fixture, leaving out ace pacer Shaheen Afridi.
The match is set to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from Friday, August 30. At the press conference, Gillespie stated that he made Afridi understand why he was dropped from the team.
"We are just looking for the best combination for this game" - Jason Gillespie on Pakistan's XII for 2nd Test
Pakistan announced their 12-member squad for the second Test against Bangladesh on Thursday, August 29. Leg spinner Abrar Ahmed was added to the side in place of Shaheen Afridi.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, here's what Jason Gillespie said on the decision to drop Afridi:
"Shaheen will sit out of this game. I had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the reasoning behind this decision. We're looking for the best combination for this game, and this is our direction. As I mentioned, we will assess the conditions in the morning and decide on the exact makeup of our bowling attack."
Pakistan's XII: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mir Hamza, Abrar Ahmed.