Former Pakistan Test cricket team head coach, Jason Gillespie, has criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for diminishing his authority, stating that his role was reduced to merely conducting fielding practice for players.
According to Cricket Australia’s website, the decision to remove assistant coach Tim Nielsen from the coaching staff stemmed from Gillespie’s growing dissatisfaction with the PCB. Gillespie revealed in an interview that the sudden decision to dismiss Nielsen was a shocking one and played a key role in his resignation as Pakistan’s Test coach.
Gillespie had previously refused to join the Pakistan team on their tour to South Africa last week, marking the end of his tenure with the PCB. The former Australian fast bowler, who had previously coached Yorkshire and Adelaide Strikers, had led Pakistan to their first home Test series win against England since 2005.
However, due to inconsistent decisions by the cricket board, his tenure was cut short. After Pakistan’s defeat in the first Test against England, the PCB unexpectedly formed a new selection committee, effectively removing the head coach from the selection process without prior consultation.
Gillespie explained that he was set to depart for South Africa to join the team in time for their tour, but the dismissal of Tim Nielsen ultimately led him to step away from his duties with the PCB.
He revealed that after the first Test against England, the news of the new selection committee arrived via a text message, and there had been no discussion with him regarding the selection matters. The decision to drop Babar Azam for the series against England was also made by the new committee, not by Gillespie.
Reflecting on his tenure, Gillespie said that after Nielsen’s dismissal, he felt his job had become increasingly difficult. He was not kept informed about key decisions, which led him to reconsider whether Pakistan still needed his services, as his role had been reduced to conducting fielding drills.
He added that a head coach must maintain communication with selectors and have knowledge of the squad for proper planning, but the lack of these basic elements made his work increasingly challenging.
