Jason Gillespie, Pakistan's newly appointed head coach of their cricket team, has extended an invitation to Paris Olympics 2024 gold medallist Arshad Nadeem to their team dressing room. The former Australian pacer said that having the Olympics record-holder in the dressing room will be a massive boost to the team.
"We would love to invite Arshad Nadeem to the dressing room. I saw them all (the players) cheering him on during the Olympics. Having him visit and share his gold medal with the team would be a fantastic boost, especially with the Olympic spirit still in the air. It was a wonderful moment, and we extend an open invitation for him to visit the dressing room," Gillespie said on the PCB Podcast.
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Arshad Nadeem Bags Paris Olympics 2024 Gold With Best Throw Of 92.97 Metres
Notably, Arshad created a new Olympic record with a best throw of 92.97 metres to win the gold medal for Pakistan, their first medal since the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Other than Pakistan's coach, their Test captain Shan Masood also feels that Arshad's gold medal would be inspiring for the team, further encouraging the boys to excel on the field.
"I don’t see it as pressure but as a privilege. Representing Pakistan is a huge honour, and every day we play is a privilege. We should feel extremely proud and grateful to represent our country. Arshad Nadeem’s success motivates us to seize our opportunity to do something good for Pakistan," Masood said.
Pakistan men's cricket team's next assignment is their two-match Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on August 21. In the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, Pakistan find themselves at the fifth place with 2 wins from 5 matches and 3 defeats. They have a 36.66 win percentage. Notably, the teams that finish top two will get to play the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.