Pak vs Ban, 2nd Test – Coach Jason Gillespie – We’ve already lost if we go out expecting to lose

“Admittedly, the odds are probably in Bangladesh’s favour,” he said at a press conference after the match was suspended. “We don’t shy away from that, but we’ve lost if we go out there expecting to lose. We took 6 for 26 in the first innings so we know we can have an impact with the ball if we really bowl. Well.”

That situation happened a little over 24 hours earlier, but with the way the test went, it could easily have happened in the past. From there, Bangladesh came in with a seventh wicket total of 165 runs to finally finish with a draw; their 262 was the highest score in Test history for a team that lost its first six wickets in under 50. Gillespie said Pakistan’s bowlers need to understand how to manage those conditions better than was evidenced on Sunday.

“We talked to our skaters about being ruthless, disciplined and skating with purpose,” Gillespie said. “And we’ve just come out of our game plan and I’ve challenged the bowlers very strongly on that. We need to make sure we’re there all the time, because Test cricket can get away from you. It’s good and I won’t shy away from saying that Bangladesh played well. Every time.

“When we think about it, and I talked to the bowlers about it this morning, we have to identify those times when maybe the ball has grown a little bit and maybe the ground is sitting down. We have to be really involved. And don’t try to look for wickets, because you can fall into that trap and I think that’s what we did a little bit.”

This game can create all kinds of drama. So I hope we can create a theater and put a smile on the face of a few people here in Pakistan tomorrow.

Jason Gillespie

Naseem is Pakistan’s most efficient bowler in cleaning up the tail, taking a wicket every 16 balls the opposition has dropped. A strike rate better than any current Pakistan bowler, or Yasir Shah, and much needed quality when Bangladesh for the ninth wicket put up 69 runs and bowled about 25 overs.

Gillespie stuck to the “horse lessons” mantra, and struck a similar note this time. “We looked at conditions and locations, which we thought was the best combination,” he explained. “We paid attention to what we saw before the game, we showed it in the last game, and that’s where we got to. In the first innings, we had Bangladesh in some trouble at one point and we bowled well. Our lines, our length, were very good.

“But in that decision, it is clear that there are a few things that we are confident about [those two] it can work. Shaheen has apparently had a good time in her private life. Naseem is right. I think what we need to understand is that we are trying to build a team spirit and not just rely on a few players here and there. We want to create an environment and a team where we can look at situations, look at the place, look at what’s coming and make the best decisions.”

Gillespie said he had no issues with the surface or the conditions, but also pointed to the absence of Mohammad Ali in the second half of the third day as a factor in Pakistan’s struggles. “That was a bit of a blow. But obviously his health is the most important thing. He was struggling for a little while. So we had to take him out and check him out, and thankfully, he’s fine.”

And while the odds do not suggest that Pakistan’s bowlers will prevent Bangladesh from securing a clean sweep, the weather in Rawalpindi could be better. Heavy rain hit the ground three hours after the players left the field, with more weather forecast for the night and morning of the final day. Failing to progress would still protect Bangladesh from their most famous series win, and Gillespie was keen for his side to get an outside shot at preventing that.

“I hope we will go in tomorrow to try to win the Test match,” he said. “We have to have that mentality. Because if we go out there expecting to lose, I guarantee you will lose. But if we go out there with the mentality and faith that we can try to shake this game. , then there is hope. Sometimes, you need those 50-50 things to go your way but we have to be with that attitude and mentality that we will go there to win the Test match for Pakistan.

“We have to hold on to what we have, take any opportunity that comes along and you never know. This game can create a whole kind of game. So I hope we can create theater and put a smile on the faces of a few people here in Pakistan tomorrow.”

It will require Pakistan to do a lot of things on the final day that they didn’t do in the first nine, but as Gillespie said, Test cricket can create a lot of games.