National teams are not where you question a player’s value: Jason Gillespie

Pakistan’s new head coach Jason Gillespie on Sunday made it clear that he won’t compromise on fitness and the onus is on the players to prove what value they bring to the national side.

Hours after reaching Pakistan, the former Australian fast bowler addressed a press conference and said once a player was selected to play for the national team, there should never be any questions over his fitness, skill levels or mental approach.

“National teams are not where you still question a player’s value. If there are any perceptions about a player’s place, he has to change it with his performances and attitude,” he told reporters.

“My mantra is that we should only have fit, robust and strong players in the Test side because in modern day cricket of any format, fitness is a must.” Gillespie said while he would want his team to play positive cricket but he doesn’t subscribe to the ‘bazball’ approach of playing red ball cricket.

“To me Test cricket is always about playing it session to session and seizing the opportunity when it comes your way. Match is dictated by the opposition and conditions.

“I want Pakistan to play in authentic Pakistan style and create an identity for itself. What I know is that Pakistan has the talent to do well. It is just about honing these players to work together to get consistently good results.” Gillespie said he had accepted the position of head coach as he always saw Pakistan cricket as very exciting and challenging.

ALSO READ | Zimbabwe stuns India by 13 runs to win opener

“Both me and Gary (Kirsten) are very excited about these assignments. I have exchanged views with him and obviously we can help each other reach our goals in red and white ball cricket.” The Australian said it was the selectors job to pick the best talent in Pakistan’s domestic cricket but he was looking forward to going to Darwin for the four-day games against Bangladesh this month as this would allow him to see the talent up close himself.

Asked about Pakistan’s World Cup debacle and the calls for removal of Babar Azam from captaincy, Gillespie said obviously everyone was disappointed with the team’s performance but as far as leadership is concerned, the PCB was best placed to look into it.

Click here to read article