Jason Gillespie breaks silence on quitting as Pakistan red-ball coach

"I was completely and utterly blindsided," said Gillespie.

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Jason Gillespie has opened up about the reasons behind his resignation as Pakistan’s red-ball coach, admitting he was "completely and utterly blindsided" by key decisions made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that led to his departure last week.

The Australian coaching veteran, who was appointed as Pakistan's red-ball coach in April, stepped down from his role just over a year into his contract, refusing to join the squad on their tour of South Africa due to growing frustrations with the PCB.

His resignation followed that of former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten, who resigned as the white-ball coach in October for similar reasons.

 

 

 

 

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In an extensive interview with ABC Radio, Gillespie revealed that the tipping point came when the PCB decided not to renew the contract of assistant coach Tim Nielsen, a decision he had no prior knowledge of. “As a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer,” said Gillespie. "I was completely and utterly blindsided by the decision to not have a senior high-performance assistant coach."

He went on to express disappointment over the lack of consultation regarding Nielsen's dismissal, which left him questioning whether the PCB actually wanted him to continue in his role. “I had developed a really close relationship with the Test captain Shan Masood, and we were certainly going in the right direction," he added. "That’s why this decision was so frustrating."

Nielsen, a former coach of the Australian team, had been praised for his work with the Pakistan team during their recent white-ball tour of Australia, where Pakistan won the ODI series. "All the feedback I and the PCB had received was how effective Tim had been in his role. The players were getting a lot out of him," Gillespie said. "They even called him ‘grandpa.’"

Despite success on the field, including a notable win against England in the Test series, Gillespie’s role had been steadily diminished.

He was removed from the selection panel after Pakistan's poor showing in the 2-0 loss to Bangladesh in September and the heavy defeat to England in the first Test. Although Pakistan bounced back to win the next two Tests, Gillespie's frustration continued to grow.

“The lack of communication from the PCB made it difficult to do my job effectively,” Gillespie said. "My role was reduced to minimal tasks, like catching balls during practice, and I was left out of key decisions like team selection."

He also highlighted the challenges of being kept in the dark about squad decisions, saying he often had to chase selectors for information.