Hyderabad: Following a gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics 2024, star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has been invited by Pakistan's newly appointed head coach Jason Gillespie to the dressing room ahead of the home side's two-match Test series, starting from August 21.
While inviting Nadeem to visit Men in Green's dressing room, Gillespie stated that sharing his gold medal would be a "fantastic boost to the team."Nadeem scripted history by becoming Pakistan's first-ever individual gold medalist at the Olympics after registering an Olympic record-breaking throw of 92.97m in the final on August 8, leaving behind his arch-rival India's 2020 Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, who had to settle on silver.
Speaking in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Podcast, Pakistan's new Test head coach Gillespie expressed his open invitation to Nadeem.
"We would love to invite Arshad Nadeem to the dressing room. I saw them all (the players) cheering him on during the Olympics. Having him visit and share his gold medal with the team would be a fantastic boost, especially with the Olympic spirit still in the air. It was a wonderful moment, and we extend an open invitation for him to visit the dressing room," said Gillespie.
Nadeem also brought glory to Pakistan after the prolonged gap of 32 years. Gillespie acknowledges that Nadeem would be a source of inspiration for the team, as they try to re-energise their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle journey. Test captain Shan Masood disagreed that Nadeem's achievements have put additional pressure on the team.
"I don't see it as pressure but as a privilege. Representing Pakistan is a huge honour, and every day we play is a privilege. We should feel extremely proud and grateful to represent our country. Arshad Nadeem's success motivates us to seize our opportunity to do something good for Pakistan," stated Masood.
Pakistan currently sit fifth in the WTC 2023-25 cycle and are scheduled to play Tests against Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies.
