After a historic Olympic record-breaking javelin throw gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024, Pakistan Test cricket head coach Jason Gillespie has invited Arshad Nadeem to the Pakistan dressing room. Stating that sharing his gold medal would be a "fantastic boost to the team", Gillespie sent an open invitation to Nadeem to visit the Pakistan dressing room. Nadeem threw a magical 92.97m throw to clinch gold, ahead of India's Neeraj Chopra, who finished with silver. In fact, Nadeem threw three of the four best throws of the final.
Speaking in the 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 became Pakistan's first Olympic medal-winner in 32 years. Gillespie believes that Nadeem would be a source of inspiration for the team, as they try to re-energise their World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle journey, starting with the two-Test series against Bangladesh from August 21.
Test captain Shan Masood disagreed that Nadeem's achievements has put additional pressure on the team.
"I don't see it as pressure but as a privilege. Representing Pakistan is a huge honor, 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.