"We've already lost....": Jason Gillespie's sensational statement before final day

After the fourth day of the Test match, Bangladesh is in a strong position. Pakistan's coach, Jason Gillespie, considers Bangladesh the favorite in the second Test as well. He has acknowledged Bangladesh as a powerful team. However, to explain Pakistan's failures, Gillespie shifted the focus from conditions to their own planning.

On Monday, after the fourth day's play, Pakistan’s head coach Jason Gillespie addressed the media as the representative of Pakistan. Giving credit to Bangladesh, he said, "I’m happy with the conditions; there are no objections. Our plans may not have worked. We didn’t bowl as well as we could have. The opposition is strong. We have to give credit to Bangladesh. However, our bowlers could have performed better."

Acknowledging Bangladesh's good performance, Gillespie further said, "Based on the conditions, we thought this was the best combination. We set up the team for this match reflecting the performance in the previous game. At one point in the first innings, we had put pressure on Bangladesh. Bangladesh has played well; that has to be said."

Pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was part of the squad in the first Test against Bangladesh, did not perform particularly well. He has been left out of the squad for the second Test, which has led to much criticism. However, the coach clarified that Shaheen was given rest to regain his best form for the future, saying:

"The pitch might have been a bit down. In such cases, you shouldn’t just be searching for wickets; that’s a trap. We made that mistake. We thought maybe it would have been better with Shaheen, who has performed well in such situations in the past. We actually want Shaheen in his best form so he can play enough cricket across all formats. There’s a lot of cricket being played now. It’s crucial to ensure he is fit and in top form so he can play for Pakistan for a long time."

Responding to the criticism about Shaheen's exclusion, Gillespie added, "One cannot rely solely on a few players. You need to understand the situation. You have to consider conditions, pitch, and make the best decision for the team."