Jason Gillespie: “He’s busy, he’s energetic – that’s what Pakistan needs in the short-format space. I was really pleased when that selection was made”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie believes the men in green need big-hitting batsman Mohammad Haris in white-ball cricket.
Haris recently made his comeback to the national team – a move Gillespie “was really pleased” with.
Haris recently featured in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and made 247 runs in 10 matches, which included a top score of 87, at an average of 27.44 and a strike-rate of 148.79.
Following PSL 10, the 24-year-old showcased his talent at the international level as during Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, he struck 179 runs, which included a career-best knock of 107 not out, at an average of 89.50 and a strike-rate of 201.12.
Unfortunately, Haris was unable to have the same kind of impact during the tour of Bangladesh as he mustered nine runs in three T20Is at an average of three and a strike-rate of 50.
Despite concerns having been raised about the Peshawar native’s consistency, Gillespie thinks he has all the skills needed to succeed in limited overs cricket, but just needs to be given time to prove himself.
“I was particularly excited about the selection of Mohammad Haris. I think he is the type of character and personality that the Pakistan team needs. Someone who’s very much an upbeat character, he’s busy, he’s energetic – that’s what Pakistan needs in the short-format space. I was really pleased when that selection was made,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
“He’s a young player. He’s gonna have some really good periods and maybe some not-so-good periods, but I think if there’s patience with guys like that, he will repay that patience in spades.”
Most recently, Haris was in action against the West Indies and scored 12 runs in the three-match T20I series at an average of six and a strike-rate of 133.33.
As for the three ODIs that followed, he was not included in the playing XI for any of the matches.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
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