• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Jason Gillespie Gives A Shut Up Call To Pakistan Batters Cry For Flat Pitch Vs Eng

Jason Gillespie Gives A 'Shut Up Call' To Pakistan Batters' Cry For Flat Pitch Vs ENG

Akshita Patel

Pakistan leadership is deep discussion ahead of first Test vs England (@TheRealPCB/X.com)Pakistan leadership is deep discussion ahead of first Test vs England (@TheRealPCB/X.com)

Ahead of the three-game Test series against England, Pakistan batters reportedly asked for a flat pitch before coach Jason Gillespie shut down their request. Former cricketer Basit Ali further added to his claim, stating that the first Test will be played on a grass wicket.

Pakistan cricket needs an immediate revival following ICC events disaster and home Test series losses. With Shan Masood’s red ball format captaincy on the line, the men in green will take on England in a three-game home Test series next.

The first Test is scheduled at Multan, with England losing their captain, Ben Stokes, to an injury already. As for Pakistan’s preparations, the players and coach reportedly had a disagreement over the nature of the pitch.

Jason Gillespie in strong disagreement with Pakistan batters!

The first Test will go on floors from October 7, and former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali revealed on his YouTube channel that the Pakistan batter insisted on a flat pitch from the pitch curator. 

"I will give you an inside story. Jason Gillespie has handed a shut-up call to Pakistan batters. He wants the pitch to remain the same that has been prepared by the groundsman," Ali said.

However, coach Jason Gillespie was completely against the idea of the grass being cut off the surface, thus silencing his team’s request. Ali claims that Gillespie wanted the pitch to stay as it was prepared by the groundsmen, with some grass left on it, rather than a completely flat, batting-friendly surface.

"Pakistan batters wanted to cut off the grass to make it a flat pitch. The pitch curator and Gillespie want to play on the same pitch. I would be really happy if the match took place on a grassy surface and our bowlers took wickets," he added.

This disagreement has highlighted the larger issues within Pakistan cricket, as both the batting and bowling units have struggled to deliver positive results. Moreover, Shan Masood’s captaincy in Test cricket is also under scrutiny, especially after Babar Azam stepped down from his role as skipper in white-ball formats. 

England, on the other hand, comes into the series with confidence from their 3-0 triumph over Pakistan in 2022.

Gillespie rebukes Pakistan’s fitness standards

In a recent interview, Pakistan’s red ball format head coach Jason Gillespie issued a stern warning over his team’s unacceptable fitness standards. He said Pakistan could not afford to play unfit players who are not strong and resilient enough to bear the rigours of the game. This statement comes after Pakistan lost a home Test series to Bangladesh.