Only one month after Gary Kirsten quit as the white-ball coach, former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie has resigned as Pakistan's Test coach. With the two-match Test series against South Africa scheduled to start on December 26, Gillespie's departure is a major setback for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Gillespie quits as Pakistan coach
Gillespie's decision is said to be the result of continuous difficulties with the PCB, which peaked on Friday when he refused to board his scheduled 6 AM flight to South Africa. Citing strained relationships and unresolved conflicts, the former pacer told the board that he intended to step down. Aaqib Javed, a former cricket player for Pakistan, has been named by the PCB as the temporary Test coach for the South Africa series. Javed, who now serves as Pakistan's white-ball teams' interim coach, will now temporarily manage the red-ball format.
Gillespie's replacement
"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named Aqib Javed as interim red-ball head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team following the resignation of red-ball head-coach Jason Gillespie," PCB's statement read.
According to reports, Gillespie's anger against the PCB started when the board declined to extend Tim Nielsen's tenure as high-performance red-ball coach. Gillespie was upset and forced to step aside when the decision was made without consulting him. Gillespie eventually decided to resign because this lack of communication damaged trust.
Earlier, Gary Kirsten's resignation from the white-ball coaching position added to the unpredictability and made Pakistan's leadership issues much worse. For a brief period, Gillespie served as the temporary white-ball coach, but his time there was brief because of continuous conflict with the board.
Pakistan is in a vulnerable situation because of Gillespie's resignation. The PCB is under increasing pressure because there are no firm plans to hire permanent coaches for either the red-ball or white-ball teams, particularly with the Champions Trophy approaching. The team's performance might be greatly impacted by the instability in leadership as Pakistan gets ready for an important Test series and the forthcoming Champions Trophy.
