Jason Gilespie believes England can beat Pakistan in the UAE

Gillespie believes that the young squad led by Alastair Cook can turn things around against Pakistan

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie said that he expects England’s tour of Pakistan in UAE to be nothing like the whitewash they faced three years ago, reports Cricket.com.au. He also praised the addition of Paul Collingwood and Mahela Jayawardene to the England backroom staff while he picked Alex Hales as the player to watch out for.

England suffered an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Pakistan in 2012 with mystery spinner Saeed Ajmal doing the bulk of the damage on the slow, turning pitches in the UAE. Gillespie, who is currently coaching English county side Yorkshire, however, feels that the selectors had chosen the right squad to perform keeping the pitches in mind.

"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,” Gillespie wrote in his column for The Guardian.

"I wouldn’t rule out an away win, either,” he added, claiming that England had better players of spin this time around.

"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 made special mention of opener Alex Hales, who is all set to make his Test debut against Pakistan, as the player who could make a difference.

"Hales is an X-factor cricketer, which we at Yorkshire saw early this season when he made 236 against us on a Trent Bridge pitch that was doing a bit,” he said.

He also went on to add that Moeen Ali batting up the order would give England the chance to pick an extra fast bowler.

"The idea of Moeen opening the batting alongside Cook, which would get the extra spinner in while keeping four quicks, has been floated and it is not something I am against,” Gillespie said. “I don’t see why a stroke maker cannot bat there and this left-hander has already shown he is one hell of a cricketer.”

Gillespie praised the appointment of Mahela Jayawardene as a batting consultant saying that his experience will help the young English squad, especially on the pitches on offer in the UAE.

"He is one of the game’s loveliest blokes, who will bring a wealth of experience having done it in all conditions and against all attacks.”

He also said Collingwood’s appointment as the ODI batting coach will bring ruthlessness into the squad.

"Paul Collingwood comes in for the white-ball leg of the tour and will bring both energy and a ruthless streak into the setup.” ?