‘Cricket Australia’s priority is India’ – Jason Gillespie surprised with ‘no promotion of Pakistan ODIs’

Pakistan interim head coach Jason Gillespie is surprised with Cricket Australia’s promotional priorities regarding the just concluded ODI series against the Men in Green, which the visitors won for the record second time. While Pakistan’s series win Down Under came after 22 years, a monumental feat for an Asian Team, the hosts seemed to care the least about this one, baffling Gillespie, the country’s one of greatest Test bowlers.

Shortly after the conclusion of the third ODI in Perth, which Pakistan won by eight wickets, and with that, the three-match series 2-1, Gillespie said Cricket Australia’s priority remains the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India starting with the first Test in Perth on November 22.

"To be honest, I pretty much saw no promotion of our one-day series by Cricket Australia, which was a bit of a surprise. It's pretty obvious that they're prioritizing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against India because I saw no promotion of this series," Gillespie said, quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald.

While Australia won the first One-Dayer at the MCG with two wickets remaining, Pakistan returned stronger to claim the Adelaide ODI before winning the final one at the Optus Stadium to clinch their second ODI series Down Under, only the second team after South Africa to do it twice.

This series win is also the first under newly-appointed white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan.

Meanwhile, the action resumes with the three-match T20Is starting at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday (Nov 14).

Team India to reach Australian shores

While several Test-bound players, including KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel and three reserve players are already in Australia, having participated in the two contested unofficial Tests against Australia A, the remaining squad members will land on the Aussie shores sooner.

Earlier, the BCCI cancelled the intra-squad match between India A and India, scheduled at the WACA in Perth, with the decision-makers opting for the training sessions at the centre wicket. After India’s three-day stint at the WACA, the Australia Test squad will arrive at the venue to practice at the centre wicket and get acclimatised to the conditions.

Moreover, from the Indian camp, uncertainties surround captain Rohit Sharma’s participation in the Perth Test, with India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirming should Rohit remains unavailable for selection for the first game, KL Rahul will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. In that case, ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah will captain the side in the first game.

(With inputs from agencies)