Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi hit back at the former head coach Jason Gillespie for his ill remarks about the team’s selection policy and unclear communication.
Gillespie recently called it quits as Pakistan’s red-ball coach due to being “completely and utterly blindsided” by PCB. Although, his contract was set to expire in 2026, he made an early exit owing to multiple reasons.
Firstly, PCB did not renew the contract of Tim Nielsen, who was brought in as a high-performance coach by Gillespie. The 49-year-old revealed that he had a good working relationship with captain Shan Masood, while the PCB also got positive feedback from players regarding Nielson’s work. However, Nielsen was dismissed from his role, without the consultation of Gillespie.
Moreover, after facing a disastrous loss in the first fixture of the three-match home series against England, the entire selection panel was changed. The panel didn’t include Masood and Gillespie, and PCB had a final say on the squad. Interestingly, Pakistan went on to win the next two games and won the series 2-1.
But, Jason Gillespie felt his role was diminished and also revealed not even knowing about team’s lineup before the game. As per Gillespie, he didn’t have clear communication with PCB regarding the selection and felt he was not needed.
“There were certainly challenges. I went into the job eyes wide open, I want to make that really clear. I knew that, you know, Pakistan had cycled through a number of coaches in a pretty short space of time. The straw that broke the camel’s back, I suppose, was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer. I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have a high-performance coach,” Gillespie had told ABC Sport following his resignation.
In an interaction with Geo News, PCB chief Naqvi slammed Gillespie for his remarks and said:
“The head coach’s role is to coach the team, while the selection committee is supposed to select players.”
Gary Kirsten also resigned from Pakistan’s head coach position
Former South African batter Gary Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach for a two-year contract in April 2024. Much was expected from Kirsten’s experience, who coached the Indian team to a 2011 World Cup title victory.
However, the Men in Green returned with dismal performances in the 2024 T20 World Cup, as they failed to reach the Super 8 stage. There were rumors of Kirsten complaining about the lack of unity in the Pakistan team.
Gary Kirsten dropped a bombshell by resigning from the role in October 2024 ahead of Pakistan’s tour to Australia. Although he did not comment on the matter, it was largely due to him having differences with PCB over authority and selection powers.
Moreover, it was reported that Kirsten was not happy with Mohammad Rizwan being appointed as the new white-ball captain of Pakistan. In place of Kirsten, Jason Gillespie served as the head coach of Pakistan side for the Australia tour, as the side secured their first ODI series victory in Australia in over 20 years.
After Gillespie’s resignation, former pacer Aaqib Javed has been serving as an interim head coach of Pakistan’s red-ball as well as white-ball sides.
FAQs
What was Jason Gillespie’s test record as Pakistan head coach?
2 wins and 3 losses in 5 games
How many games did Pakistan won under Gary Kirtsen in T20 WC?
2 wins in 4 games
