LAHORE: Jason Gillespie believes Pakistan will find their way — and identity — in Test cricket. The recently-appointed Pakistan red-ball coach is pinning his hopes on the fact his side will play seven Tests at home this season.

“I think the identity will sort itself out,” former Australian pacer Gillespie told a Pakistan Cricket Board podcast. “In this next period of time, seven Test matches out of nine are in Pakistan, which is fantastic.”

Pakistan begin their home summer with a two-Test series against Bangladesh before hosting England for three games in October. West Indies are due to arrive for two Tests early next year.

“It would be great to play more Test cricket,” added Gillespie alongside captain Shan Masood during the podcast conducted by former Pakistan cricketer Bazid Khan.

“The PCB is exploring ways to have more games for the Shaheens [who are currently playing Bangladesh A in two four-day matches] and four-day cri­cket to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.

“The Shaheens play a crucial role in Pakistan cricket. They offer exposure to young, talented cricketers and reward good-quality domestic performances. Finding that balance and testing players in different environments and against different oppositions will help them make the step up to international cricket.

“As for identity and playing in Pakistan, there are varying surfaces and conditions depending on whether you’re in the north or south of the country. I don’t think that will be resolved right now. It will be a process to figure out exactly what surfaces we want to play on going forward.

“But I firmly believe we’ve got all bases covered, whether it’s fast bowling, slower bowling, or playing on faster, bouncier tracks that offer more assistance to seamers, or surfaces that are lower and slower. We need to be flexible and adaptable, but we’ll certainly have a basic blueprint on how we want to play our games.”

Asked about the space in the calendar for Test cricket despite the mushrooming T20 cricket leagues around the world, Gillespie admitted there were challenges.

“There are challenges, no question,” he said. “We want to find the balance between representing Pakistan and not denying players opportunities for experiences. There are financial incentives for players to go and play overseas.

“I know there’s been a lot of media discussion recently about some decisions made by the PCB on player availability. We’ve got multi-format players, and we’ve got to look after them as best we can.

“The priority is representing Pakistan, but if there are opportunities—on a case-by-case basis—where a player can learn about their game and play better cricket, which in turn will help them be a better cricketer for Pakistan, then we’ll certainly consider those opportunities.

“But we won’t be in a position where we compromise the team, whichever format.”

Pakistan have slumped as a Test side in recent times and Shan attributed it to the fact that red-ball action had been few and far between.

“Test cricket wasn’t as frequent for us,” he said. “If you look at the big nations like Australia, India, and England, they play about 10 to 15 Test matches a year.

“In Test cricket, which is the ultimate challenge in the game, you have to be familiar with certain conditions. Yes, we’ve been playing at home since 2019, but other teams have been playing on their home soils for much longer. We still have to decide what our best approach at home is.

“If I’m being brutally honest, in home Test matches, because they’ve been played at different times of the year and against different nations, we still haven’t found our ideal way of playing at home that suits our batting, bowling, and overall style. That’s something we need to quickly figure out.

“We need to determine what helps us win as a team. How can we create conditions that suit us more and put us in the driving seat, rather than just thinking about how we can cope with the opposition?

“It’s about familiarity, figuring things out, and consistency, which matters a lot in Test cricket. We’re playing nine Test matches in four months, but we’ve also had to deal with an unfortunate calendar where we played in Australia, and then we’re playing our next Test after ten months. These are challenges that Pakistan cricket needs to address going forward.

“For me, it’s more about how we can get our team to play more Test matches. That comes down to scheduling, reducing the gaps, and ensuring we have consistent Test squads going forward. We also need to find a way to create a home fortress, like in Australia, India, and even New Zealand, where those teams are hard to beat at home. We want people to see Pakistan as a challenging destination.”

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2024