Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie, in an interview with Australian media, highlighted his decision to step down as Pakistan red-ball coach, attributing it to concerns about his role.
Gillespie revealed that the lack of clarity over the position of high performance coach Tim Nielsen played a decisive role in his resignation.
“I was completely unaware of the decision not to retain Tim Nielsen,” Gillespie stated. “This situation, combined with past events, made me question whether I was really needed. Not informing the head coach of such a big decision made me think this way.”
He expressed concerns about the diminishing purpose of his role in the country’s cricket setup.
“The purpose of my internship in Pakistan was fading,” he explained.
He added: “My role was limited to training the players to catch the ball on the morning of the match.”
The former coach stressed the importance of communication in his role as head coach.
“It is essential that the head coach maintains full communication with the selectors and everyone else,” he said.
“For planning purposes, I need to inform the team at least a day in advance. Without these basic requirements, work becomes very difficult.”
The 49-year-old also highlighted how the decision-making process had become more difficult following the Nielsen case.
He revealed, “I learned about the new selection committee via a text message in the group chat after the first match against England.” “No one discussed the selection committee with me.”
One of the controversial decisions made by the new selection committee was to drop star batsman Babar Azam from the second match of the recent Test series against England – a move that Gillespie felt symbolized a lack of coordination.
He concluded: “The decision to exclude Babar Azam was taken by the new selection committee.”
It is worth noting that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to renew the contract of red-ball assistant coach Nielsen.
Nielsen, who was appointed as ‘red ball high performance coach’ in August 2024, saw his contract expire following Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia.
Despite expressing his commitment for the upcoming longer-format series against South Africa and West Indies, Nielsen revealed that the PCB has informed him that his services are no longer required.
Jason Gillespie was appointed as the red-ball coach of the Pakistan national team on 28 April 2024.
His first assignment was a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, in which the Pakistani team suffered a 2-0 defeat.
His second stint was a three-match home Test series against England, which Pakistan won 2-1.
Following his resignation, Aqib Javed was appointed interim coach ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa, scheduled to be held from 20 December 2024 to 7 January 2025, in Centurion and Cape Town.