The momentum in the second Test in Rawalpindi could shift in favour of Bangladesh on Monday, but Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie said that his team has no option but to believe that they can secure a win and level the series 1-1. Heading into the final day, the visitors need just 143 runs to win with all their wickets in hand as well.
“Admittedly, the odds are probably in favour of Bangladesh,” Gillespie said after the fourth day’s play. “We don’t shy away from that, but we’ve already lost if we walk out there expecting to lose. We took 6 for 26 in the first innings so we know that we can have an impact with the ball if we bowl really well.”
“I hope we get on tomorrow so we can try and win a Test match. We’ve got to have that mindset. Because if we walk out there expecting to lose, well, I guarantee you will lose. But if we walk out there with the mindset and the belief that we can try and shake this game up, then there’s hope. Sometimes, you need those 50-50 things to go your way but we’ve got to have that attitude and mindset that we’re going to go there to win the Test match for Pakistan. We need to take our catches, take any opportunity that comes our way and you never know. This game can create all sorts of drama. So I’m hoping that we can create some theatre and put a smile on a few people’s faces here in Pakistan tomorrow,” he again stated.
Much like the first Test, Pakistan failed to use their opportunities in Rawalpindi at times when they had all the advantages. After getting bowled out for 274 in the first innings, they had Bangladesh restricted to 26 for 6 before a century by Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan ensured they have a significant lead. From thereon, Pakistan started struggling.
In the second innings, they were reduced to 81 for 6 before 40s from Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman helped them reach to 174, giving their bowlers something to fight with.
“We’ve spoken to our bowlers about being ruthless, being disciplined and bowling with intent,” he said. “And we just went away from our game plan and I’ve challenged the bowlers pretty strongly on that. We need to make sure that we’re on each and every time because Test cricket can get away from you. The opposition is very good and I’m not going to shy away from saying Bangladesh played well. No question. But I know that our bowlers can do better in that situation than what they showed and we just need to make sure that execution is absolutely bang on each and every time.”
Despite the poor situation that the Pakistan team find themselves in, Jason Gillespie has defended the decision to leave out the senior pace duo from the playing XI for the second Test.
“We looked at conditions and surfaces, what we thought the best combination was,” he said. “We took into account what we saw before the game, reflected on the previous game, and this is where we landed. In the first innings we had Bangladesh in a bit of strife at one point and we bowled quite well. Our lines, our lengths, were excellent.”
“But on that decision, obviously, there’s a few things we’re hoping [those two] can work on. Shaheen’s obviously had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. Naseem’s fine. I think what we’ve got to understand is we’re trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on a few players here and there. We want to create an environment and a squad where we can look at conditions, look at surfaces, look at what holistically what is coming up and make the best decisions,” he concluded.
