Jason Gillespie has recently stepped down as the coach of Pakistan’s Test cricket team, just before a two-match series against South Africa. He shared his reasons for leaving, criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for unclear communication.
Gillespie became the Test coach in April 2024 and helped the team win a series against England. However, he felt like he was not wanted in the job. He said, “There were certainly challenges. I knew Pakistan had many different coaches in a short time.”
One major reason for his resignation was the unexpected decision by the PCB to fire the high-performance coach, Tim Nielsen. Gillespie expressed that he was blindsided by this choice because he had received positive feedback about Nielsen’s work.
He stated, “I had zero communication from anyone about that decision,” which led him to think that maybe the PCB didn’t really want him as a coach. He had been building a strong relationship with the Test captain, Shan Masood, and believed they were making progress together.
Pakistan’s performance was shaky at first, losing the first Test against England, but they bounced back to win the series 2-1. Gillespie also felt he was not getting enough communication from the PCB before games, which made it hard for him to plan effectively.
After Gillespie’s departure, Aqib Javed has been appointed as the interim Test coach for the team.