Gillespie challenges Pakistan players to improve fitness

Jason Gillespie was named Pakistan's Test head coach in April

Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie says improving the fitness of his squad is a key focus as they prepare for the first of three Tests against England starting in Multan on Monday.

Former Australia fast bowler Gillespie was appointed Pakistan's Test head coach in April, but suffered a shock 2-0 defeat by a travelling Bangladesh side in his first series in charge last month.

"We can't afford to have players in international cricket who are not fit or strong enough to negotiate the rigours of the game," said Gillespie, speaking on BBC World Service's Stumped podcast.

"What I've learned from the Bangladesh series is that we've got some wonderful players, but we need to be more consistent. We've got the skills but we need to keep fine-tuning them.

"There's also been plenty of talks around fitness and we're making sure that it's a key component for us going forward."

Gillespie impressed by Masood

Gillespie also defended Shan Masood, who is under pressure after losing all five of his matches as Test captain, with Pakistan also losing 3-0 to Australia last December under his leadership.

"Shan has got a very clear plan on how the Test side should play and we are completely aligned on that," the 49-year-old said.

"There are things people don't see and I've been really impressed by his communication with the players and how he's gone about doing his job."

Gillespie and Masood will have the chance to reverse a poor run of results when they face Brendon McCullum's England in back-to-back Tests in Multan, with the second beginning on 15 October before the final Test in Rawalpindi starts on 24 October.

"I think we match up well against England. It's going to be a challenging series. We know we are probably the underdogs, but we are excited to show what we can do," Gillespie added.