Dizzy confident England can win in UAE

Cricket365
September 20, 2015

Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie is certain that England, filled with his Tykes, will be able to beat Pakistan in their upcoming Test series in the UAE, as the side is new and youthful.

The last time England played in the UAE they lost three-nil, with Saeed Ajmal destroying them, but this time there's no Ajmal, and many of those England players have since retired.

The former Australia paceman feels that given England won the Ashes recently, and have a young squad, they will be able to cope with the pressures, and play the spinners, better.

Gillespie wrote in The Guardian: "Taking on Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates is a tough assignment but after seeing the squad England have selected for the tour, a repeat of the 3-0 Test series defeat suffered last time does not look on the cards for me.

"I wouldn't rule out an away win, either.

"Alastair Cook’s side may be less experienced than the one three years ago but there are good players of spin in that batting line-up and the collective mindset is strong; they will not carry scars from 2012, only a youthful positivity."

Gillespie's Yorkshire side have many players in the England set up, but opening batsman Adam Lyth is no longer one of them after he was dropped following a poor Ashes. The coach was pragmatic about this.

'Dizzy' added: "His seven Tests have been against two good attacks in challenging conditions and the simple but harsh reality is that cricketers are judged on output.

"There were no question marks over Joe Root, for example, leading up to the announcement because – and I have said this before – players are their own best selectors."