It’ll be a new Pakistan dressing room under Shan Masood and Jason Gillespie. The captain and coach duo will work together for the first time when the Bangladesh Test series starts on August 21, but they’ve already made things clear about how things will be in the changing room.
Masood and Gillespie want the Pakistan dressing room to be a safe place. A space where players and support staff can speak their minds freely without any apprehension of it leaking outside. After Pakistan’s disastrous T20 World Cup campaign, we heard that their white ball coach Gary Kirsten’s dressing room speech was leaked by someone after they were ousted.
Masood & Gillespie look to revolutionize Pakistan Cricket
The Pakistan Test captain and coach have made one thing clear: no leaks of dressing room chatter will happen under them. “The dressing room culture is crucial, and everything starts from there,” Masood said on the PCB podcast. “How you play on the field begins with the environment and conversations within the dressing room. When you’re assigned captaincy, maintaining or creating a positive dressing room culture is a primary responsibility. Great sporting teams have strong dressing room cultures that contribute to their success. This includes everything from disciplines and routines to agreeing on how to play,” he added.
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Shan Masood has been helming the Pakistan Test team since late last year, and while Pakistan has lost all three matches he’s led in, he’s received positive feedback from fans and the Pakistan Cricket Board. As he looks to take his team to new heights with Gillespie alongside him, he feels like he needs to get things in order in the dressing room first before he takes on the opposition on the field.
“Addressing leaks and maintaining confidentiality in the dressing room is vital. It’s important to convince players of the significance of keeping the dressing room a sacred space. The betterment of everyone—whether coaches or players—starts with a strong and respectful dressing room culture,” the Pakistan Test captain concluded.