"Babar Azam demanded flat Pitches, Jason Gillespie pulled up entire Pakistan batsmen"- Shocking claims emerge

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali recently revealed that Pakistan's batsmen have been requesting flat pitches for Test matches on home soil. Basit Ali also said that Jason Gillespie has firmly opposed these demands, stating that the red-ball head coach gave a "shut-up call" to the batters.

The Men in Green are going through a difficult period with struggles across formats. The Shan Masood-led side faced an unexpected 0-2 defeat in a home Test series against Bangladesh. This clean sweep has garnered widespread criticism from former cricketers of the Pakistan team's performance.

Jason Gillespie Wants The Pitch To Remain The Same - Basit Ali

In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Basit Ali said that the home batsmen pushing for flat pitches at home contributed to inconsistent Test performances. Basit said that Gillespie rejected the batters' demands, hoping that playing on grassy pitches would benefit the bowlers.

“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,” Basit revealed.

“The 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.

Pakistan At Lowest Position In ICC Test Rankings

The Men in Green failed to secure a Test series win at home since their series victory against South Africa in January 2021. Pak team lost six and drew the remaining four, including a whitewash against England during this period. The Men in Green (8th) is at its lowest position in the ICC Test rankings since 1965.

Pakistan has struggled to secure a win since Shan Masood took over as captain. The Pakistan national cricket team suffered a 0-3 series loss to Australia in away conditions during Masood's debut series as captain. Pakistan then endured a tough clean-sweep defeat to Bangladesh on home soil.

Jason Gillespie And Company Had Some Issues - Basit Ali

Basit Ali said that Mohammad Yousuf's resignation as selector was likely due to a disagreement with red-ball coach Jason Gillespie rather than personal reasons. Basit added that Yousuf should be considered for the batting coach position ahead of the upcoming three-match home Test series against England.

"Asad Shafique is the only selector left now and I think he should be removed as well. It seems like Jason Gillespie and Company had some issues with Mohammad Yousuf, which is why he has resigned."

"He tweeted to announce that he has resigned as the selector due to personal reasons. If there are any personal reasons, he should have also resigned from other positions. I may be wrong but I feel Yousuf could be the batting coach for the England series. He is a big name and should be appointed as the batting coach."

Mohammad Yousuf resigned from the selection committee on September 29, just six months after taking the position. The Men in Green suffered a disappointing group-stage exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup and then suffered their first Test series loss against Bangladesh.

Also read: Mudassar Nazar exposes the source of tension between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi