Ricky Ponting backs Jason Gillespie to succeed with Pakistan
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has supported Jason Gillespie’s appointment as Pakistan’s Test coach, praising his strong track record as a coach in every team he has worked with.
Gillespie was chosen as Pakistan’s red-ball coach before the T20 World Cup 2024. His first task as coach will be the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Ponting, who led Australia to two World Cup victories, compared Gillespie to India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, noting that both have excellent coaching records. However, he also mentioned that Gillespie will face some challenges with the Pakistan cricket team.
“Jason Gillespie is a bit like Gautam Gambhir. Wherever he has coached, his record has been very good. He will face some challenges, no doubt, but he is a deep thinker and handles things in his own quiet way,” Ponting said.
Ponting also shared that he and other former teammates have been congratulating Gillespie in their WhatsApp groups, wishing him well in his new role.
He further commented that the changes in Pakistan’s coaching staff were not surprising, especially after their disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the group stage for the first time in the tournament’s history.
“To be honest, I’m not surprised by the number of changes in their group. Even though it’s a different format, they had a very disappointing T20 World Cup. If you don’t make changes, you’re likely to get the same results,” Ponting added.
Squads:
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumar Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi
