September 3, 2024

Gillespie: We’ve already lost if we walk out expecting to lose

Pakistan’s head coach, Jason Gillespie, has admitted that Bangladesh is currently the favorite in their Test match. Despite heavy rain and covers spread across Rawalpindi Stadium at the end of the day, Gillespie remains hopeful that his bowlers can create some exciting moments on the final day. With just one day left to avoid their first-ever series loss to Bangladesh, Gillespie is calling for improved discipline from the bowlers and more focus from the batters.

“Admittedly, the odds are probably in favour of Bangladesh,” he said at the press conference once play had been suspended. “We don’t shy away from that, but we’ve already lost if we walk out there expecting to lose. We took 6 for 26 in the first innings so we know that we can have an impact with the ball if we bowl really well.”

Just over 24 hours earlier, the Test match felt like it had taken a turn for the worse, but it seems like a lifetime ago now. Since then, Bangladesh has made a strong comeback with a remarkable 165-run partnership for the seventh wicket, finishing their innings with a total of 262. This is the highest score ever for a team that lost their first six wickets for under 50 runs. Gillespie believes Pakistan’s bowlers need to handle such situations more effectively than they did on Sunday.

Bangladesh’s Continued Dominance and Pakistan’s Strategic Challenges

On the fourth morning, Bangladesh continued their impressive performance, dismissing Pakistan for 172 with all ten wickets taken by fast bowlers. In challenging conditions, Zakir Hasan took advantage of the dark clouds and helped Bangladesh reach 42 without loss in just seven overs before bad light stopped play.

“We’ve spoken to our bowlers about being ruthless, being disciplined and bowling with intent,” Gillespie said. “And we just went away from our game plan and I’ve challenged the bowlers pretty strongly on that. We need to make sure that we’re on each and every time, because Test cricket can get away from you. The opposition is very good and I’m not going to shy away from saying Bangladesh played well. No question. But I know that our bowlers can do better in that situation than what they showed and we just need to make sure that execution is absolutely bang on each and every time.”

“On reflection, and I spoke to the bowlers about it this morning, we’ve got to identify those periods where maybe the ball’s got a little bit older and maybe the surface settles down. We’ve just got to really hang in. And not try to search for wickets, because you can fall into that trap. And I think that’s probably what we did a little bit.”

In this series, Pakistan’s off-field decisions have been a major issue, with their choices often backfiring. In the first Test, they opted for an all-pace attack, dropping Abrar Ahmed in anticipation of a bouncy pitch. This decision proved poor when Bangladesh’s slow bowlers took seven wickets on the final day, leading to a 10-wicket win for Bangladesh. In the current Test, Pakistan prepared a pitch that favored seam bowling, but all their second innings wickets fell to Bangladesh’s pace bowlers. Notably, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, key pace bowlers, were left out, leaving Pakistan without strong pace options.

The Impact of Key Players’ Absences and the Potential for a Dramatic Turnaround

Naseem Shah, who is Pakistan’s best bowler for cleaning up the tail with a wicket every 16 balls, could have been crucial. His absence was felt as Bangladesh’s ninth-wicket stand contributed 69 runs over nearly 25 overs. Gillespie has maintained his “horses-for-courses” approach, selecting the team based on conditions and previous performances. He noted that they had Bangladesh in trouble at one point and praised their bowling in the first innings for its good lines and lengths.

“But on that decision, obviously, there’s a few things we’re hoping [those two] can work on. Shaheen’s obviously had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. Naseem’s fine. I think what we’ve got to understand is we’re trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on a few players here and there. We want to create an environment and a squad where we can look at conditions, look at surfaces, look at what holistically what is coming up and make the best decisions.”

Gillespie mentioned that he had no issues with the pitch or conditions, but he highlighted Mohammad Ali’s absence during the latter part of the third day as a factor in Pakistan’s difficulties. “That was a setback, but his health was the priority. He was struggling for a while, so we needed to get him off the field and checked out. Fortunately, he’s okay.”

While it seems unlikely that Pakistan’s bowlers will stop Bangladesh from completing a series sweep, the weather in Rawalpindi might help. After the players left the field, steady rain fell for nearly three hours, with more rain expected overnight and on the final day. If the match cannot resume, Bangladesh will secure a significant series win, but Gillespie is hopeful that his team will still have a chance to prevent that outcome.

“I hope we get on tomorrow so we can try and win a Test match,” he said. “We’ve got to have that mindset. Because if we we walk out there expecting to lose, well, I guarantee you will lose. But if we walk out there with the mindset and the belief that we can try and shake this game up, then there’s hope. Sometimes, you need those 50-50 things to go your way but we’ve got to have that attitude and mindset that we’re going to go there to win the Test match for Pakistan.”

“We need to take our catches, take any opportunity that comes our way and you never know. This game can create all sorts of drama. So I’m hoping that we can create some theatre and put a smile on a few people’s faces here in Pakistan tomorrow.”

For Pakistan to turn things around on the final day, they would need to make significant changes from their performance over the first nine days. However, as Gillespie noted, Test cricket is known for its dramatic twists and turns.