Former Australian all-rounder Jason Gillespie revealed reasons behind his resignation as the red-ball head coach of Pakistan's cricket team.
In a recent interview with the Australian media, Gillespie revealed that being left in the dark regarding High-Performance Coach Tim Nielsen’s situation was the tipping point for his departure.
“I was completely unaware of the decision not to retain Tim Nielsen,” Gillespie stated. “This situation, along with past incidents, made me question whether I was truly needed. Not informing the head coach about such a major decision compelled me to think this way.”
He expressed concerns about the diminishing purpose of his role in Pakistan’s cricket setup.
“The purpose of my coaching stint in Pakistan was fading away,” he explained.
“My role was reduced to giving catching practice to players on match mornings,” he added.
The former coach emphasized the importance of communication in his role.
“It is essential for a head coach to maintain full communication with selectors and everyone else,” he said.
“For planning purposes, I need to be informed about the squad at least a day in advance. Without these basic requirements, working becomes very difficult.”
The 49-year-old also highlighted how the decision-making process became even more challenging after the Nielsen situation.
“I found out about the new selection committee via a text message in the group chat after the first match against England,” he revealed. “No one discussed the selection committee issue with me.”
One of the contentious decisions by the new selection committee was the dropping of star batter Babar Azam during the England Test series, a move that Gillespie felt symbolized the lack of coordination.
“The decision to drop Babar Azam was made by the new selection committee,” he concluded.
It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declined to renew the contract of former red-ball assistant coach Tim Nielsen.
Nielsen who was appointed as the "high-performance red-ball coach" in August 2024, saw his contract expire following Pakistan's recent tour of Australia.
Despite expressing his commitment to the upcoming longer-format series against South Africa and the West Indies, Nielsen revealed that the PCB had informed him that his services were no longer required.
Jason Gillespie was appointed as the red-ball head coach of the Pakistan team on April 28, 2024.
His first assignment was a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, in which the Pakistan team suffered a 2-0 whitewash defeat.
His second assignment was a three-match home Test series against England, which Pakistan won 2-1.
After his resignation, Aqib Javed was named interim head coach ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa, scheduled from December 20, 2024, to January 7, 2025, in Centurion and Cape Town.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
