Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has shared his thoughts on Australia’s recent ODI series against Pakistan, suggesting that Australia may have set their sights more on the upcoming Test series with India.

Gillespie, who served as Pakistan’s interim white-ball coach down under, pointed out that the Australian team seemed to downplay the importance of the one-day matches, focusing instead on resting key players for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

This series gave Pakistan its first ODI series win over Australia in two decades, a feat Gillespie attributed in part to Australia’s lineup changes and Pakistan’s strong bowling performance.

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Did Australia undervalue the ODIs?

In the recent series, Australia fielded a less experienced side as many of their regulars, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Steve Smith, did not make the trip to Perth.

Gillespie said that this decision signalled a lower priority on the ODI series, hinting that the team’s focus was already on preparing for the upcoming Tests against India.

He shared that Pakistan expected some of Australia’s key players to sit out and anticipated that the hosts would manage their resources with the Test series in mind.

What did Jason Gillespie say on Australia’s focus on Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

According to Gillespie, Australia’s cricket board seemed to place a higher priority on promoting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with very little advertisement for the Pakistan series. Gillespie observed that the series received minimal attention from Cricket Australia and suggested that, despite Fox Sports’ coverage, the ODIs were barely highlighted.

He speculated that this lack of promotion and focus on India reflected where Australia’s real priorities lay. Gillespie acknowledged that scheduling conflicts make it difficult to manage all series equally but believed it was apparent where Australia’s attention was directed.

“It’s really difficult for administrators to schedule all the cricket. But it has felt from Pakistan’s perspective that based on selections and promotion of the series that their priorities have been India. It’s pretty obvious,” said Jason Gillespie.

While Gillespie was clear in his criticism, he also showed understanding for the management approach taken by head coach Andrew McDonald and Cricket Australia. He said that it is unrealistic to expect players to participate in every match, particularly with the intense international schedule.

To keep players fit and prepared for major tournaments, he said, selective player management is necessary to avoid burnout. For Pakistan, their next Test series isn’t until late December, giving them ample recovery time, whereas Australia faces the challenge of balancing back-to-back series.

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What did Jason Gillespie say about Pakistan’s performance?

Reflecting on the ODI matches, Gillespie praised Pakistan’s bowlers, especially Haris Rauf, whose speed and accuracy troubled the Australian batting order. Rauf took 10 wickets across the series, consistently exposing weaknesses in Australia’s lineup.

Gillespie said that Pakistan played against the team presented to them, making the most of their opportunity to win. He highlighted that, despite Australia’s team selection, Pakistan delivered a convincing performance, which could have led to an even cleaner sweep had they capitalized on chances in the first game.

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Gillespie’s remarks on team selection, the promotional approach, and Australia’s focus on the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy suggest that strategic planning may have overshadowed the Pakistan series. Pakistan, seizing the opportunity, played a commendable series, capitalizing on Australia’s rotated squad and earning a historic series win.