Jason Gillespie, Pakistan men’s Test team head coach, called out the former cricketers for passing heavy criticism over Pakistan cricketers and admitted that those criticisms affect the players negatively. He also opened up on Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to strip him of control over the team selection.
Pakistan cricket has been like a ship lost at sea in the recent years experiencing losses against lower-ranked teams, early exits from ICC tournaments, lacklustre Test performances, and frequent changes in captaincy and senior positions within the PCB.
“I'm Very Protective Of Players": Says Pakistan's Coach Gillespie
Amidst all this, it's also common to see former Pakistan cricketers delivering scathing remarks about the current players, a point that Gillespie addressed during his conversation with Sky Sports, as reported by PTI.
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“I'm very protective of players and very protective of staff I work with and just want to make sure that the environment that we're trying to create is a safe space for everyone and if that gets eroded then that can lead to a bit of frustration,” Gillespie told Sky Sports.
“A lot of former players have their own space on social media – YouTube, whatever, and they're paid to have an opinion. One thing that I have noticed here is that the players notice everything and if they get some positive feedback from former players they idolised as kids, that goes a long way when they get some positive reinforcement. But it can have the opposite effect too if there's a lot of criticism by those former players,” he added.
After their loss to England at Multan in the first Pakistan vs England Test, there was a reshuffle in the national selection committee along with the dropping of Pakistan team stalwarts Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Head coach Jason Gillespie too was stripped of his control over selection decisions for the team.
“I think there's always frustration from time to time. For me, when I came on board with Pakistan cricket, I was told there was a long-term plan, and we need to make sure our communication's spot on. I made that a real focus and so you can get frustrated if those things aren't done how you would like,” Gillespie said.
“It wasn't what I signed up for, I'll be completely honest. But this is one of those situations in which you just need to go with the flow. As I said, I'm in a different environment and things are done differently.
Gillespie noted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has established its third selection panel since he took on the role of head coach, which he sees as a sign of a shifting environment.
“Since I've been involved, we're already on our third selection panel. These are the things you just have to take it in your stride and understand that we're in a different environment and go with the flow.”