NEW DELHI: Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s red-ball head coach, expressed support for captain Shan Masood‘s leadership despite Pakistan’s recent series loss to Bangladesh. Pakistan lost both Tests, with a 10-wicket defeat in the first match and a six-wicket loss in the second, marking their first-ever Test defeats to this opposition.
Masood has faced criticism for both his leadership and scoring only 105 runs in four innings, extending his losing streak to five Tests as skipper.
At a post-match press conference, Gillespie asserted that the team’s performance, rather than Masood’s leadership, was the issue. “Shan, I feel, has led the side very well. We just haven’t played well as a team and that’s the reality. We need to sharpen up on certain areas and we will sharpen up. I want to back and believe in these players, they are good enough,” he stated.Masood responded to the criticism, emphasizing his commitment to long-term improvement. “I am not worried for my job security. I took this job to make the changes we believe will help this team. If I believe this team can go in a certain direction, even if my personal failure takes Pakistan to that direction, I will be content. However much time I get, I’ll be grateful for and do my best,” Masood remarked during the briefing.
The captain highlighted the need for more experience and exposure in red-ball cricket for his team, drawing comparisons to Bangladesh’s seasoned players.
Masood has faced criticism for both his leadership and scoring only 105 runs in four innings, extending his losing streak to five Tests as skipper.
At a post-match press conference, Gillespie asserted that the team’s performance, rather than Masood’s leadership, was the issue. “Shan, I feel, has led the side very well. We just haven’t played well as a team and that’s the reality. We need to sharpen up on certain areas and we will sharpen up. I want to back and believe in these players, they are good enough,” he stated.Masood responded to the criticism, emphasizing his commitment to long-term improvement. “I am not worried for my job security. I took this job to make the changes we believe will help this team. If I believe this team can go in a certain direction, even if my personal failure takes Pakistan to that direction, I will be content. However much time I get, I’ll be grateful for and do my best,” Masood remarked during the briefing.
The captain highlighted the need for more experience and exposure in red-ball cricket for his team, drawing comparisons to Bangladesh’s seasoned players.
“Bangladesh have two players who have played 70-90 Tests (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman), and Litton [Das] and Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] have played close to 40. We need the same level of red-ball exposure. Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. You need experience. It’s obvious we need more Test and red-ball cricket,” Masood explained.
Both players and management appear focused on addressing these issues to improve future performances. The emphasis seems to be on gaining experience and refining skills to better compete in the red-ball format.