02 January,2026 01:03 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Jason Gillespie (Pic: File Pic)
Former Pakistan coach and Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie said that the sacking of Tim Nielsen as the high-performance red-ball coach was one of the issues with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which left him humiliated
In April 2024, the PCB appointed Gillespie as the head coach for the team in Test cricket and former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten was also named as the head coach in white-ball formats.
Former Australian head coach Tim Nielsen was also roped in as a high-performance coach in August 2024. Later, he was informed by the PCB that his services were no longer needed before the South Africa tour 2024-25.
When a user on a social media platform asked Gillespie about why he left his role with the PCB, he wrote, "I was coaching the Pakistan Test side. The PCB sacked our senior assistant coach with ZERO communication with me about it- as Head Coach I found this situation completely unacceptable. There were a number of other issues which left me completely humiliated".
In between his resignation and the exit of Kirsten, Gillespie had also served as the interim white-ball coach. Gillespie was succeeded by former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed across formats, who was also serving on the selection panel.
The former cricketer then explained how zero communication from the PCB, of not having a high-performance coach, led him to part ways with the board.
"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. Tim Nielsen was told that his services were no longer required and I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that. And I just thought after a number of other things that had gone on in the previous few months, that was probably the moment where I thought, 'Well, I'm not really sure if they actually want me to do this job or not'," said Gillespie.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the former Australia cricketer and PCB are now engaged in a financial dispute with the former coach, claiming he was not paid his dues, while the board claims he did not provide them with a four-month notice period as per their contract.
(With PTI Inputs)
