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Pakistan red-ball coach Jason Gillespie has revealed his dislike for the term 'Bazball' ahead of the home Test series against England. However, the former Australian speedster has observed their aggressive approach and their evolution over the years after conservative gameplay.
The term 'Bazball' emerged during England's home summer in 2022 when they played an aggressive brand of Test cricket to register wins over India and New Zealand. Nevertheless, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have expressed their dislike towards the term.
Speaking in a PCB podcast, Gillespie said England will play the way they want to and Pakistan will stick to their approach. The 49-year-old also said they are unfazed about people writing off the hosts. He said:
"It’s very clear how England approaches their cricket. I don’t particularly like the term “Bazball,” but they do play aggressive cricket. We’ve seen them evolve their game and that’s how they want to play. We will play our way, striving to be a consistent and disciplined team that hangs in there and strikes at the right moment to drive the game forward and exploit gaps. That’s our strategy.
"A lot of people are writing us off, and that’s okay - that’s fine. It will only motivate our boys a little bit more. We’ll go out and do our jobs as best we can, and hopefully, the results will take care of themselves."
England, led by Stokes, had inflicted a 3-0 series sweep on Pakistan in their backyard in late 2022. The tourists will start considerably as the favorites, especially as Pakistan have lost to Bangladesh recently.
"We showed glimpses of quality in the Test series against Bangladesh" - Jason Gillespie
Reflecting on the 2-0 series loss to Bangladesh, Gillespie believes Pakistan failed to shut the door on the opposition in key moments and need to sustain the advantage for longer periods moving forward. He added:
"We showed glimpses of quality in the Test series against Bangladesh, where we were really driving the game forward. We played some excellent cricket, both with the bat and the ball. The issue was that we didn’t sustain it long enough.
"When we allowed our opponents to get into the game, they capitalised and pulled ahead. So, what we need is a bit more ruthlessness. When we’re ahead, we need to stay ahead and make sure we really drive home that advantage."
Pakistan have announced a 15-member squad for the opening Test in Multan, starting on October 7.
