Jason Gillespie Reveals Two Key Reasons Why He Quit As Pakistan Coach: 'The Straw That Broke Camel's Back...' (Source: PCB)
Jason Gillespie broke the silence on stepping down as Pakistan Test coach. Pakistan is not an easy team to coach given the internal politics within the board. Gillespie along with Gary Kirsten made a brave call to accept the role but they failed to stay even for a year. Kirsten stepped down as white-ball coach without coaching the team in a single ODI, while Gillespie gave up on the team soon after. The coaches were removed from the selection panel and turned into match day strategists. Kirsten didn't like the move and parted ways, but Gillespie hung around. He was asked to coach the team on a white-ball tour to Australia and he did well, leading the team to an ODI series win.
However, when the board sacked assistant coach Tim Neilsen without even consulting head coach Gillespie, the former Australia pacer lost his patience and stepped down. The PCB later named Aqib Javed as interim head coach across formats.
Gillespie cited removal from the selection matters and the sacking of Tim Neilsen without any communication as the two primary reasons why he decided to quit as Pakistan coach.
"The straw that broke the camel’s back… as a head coach you like to have clear communication with your employer and I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to no longer have a high-performance coach," Gillespie said on ABC Grandstand.
“My senior assistant coach Tim Nielsen was told his services were no longer required and I had 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 the moment I thought well I’m not really sure they actually want me to do this job.
“When things started to change… and I felt my opportunity to be able help was severely diminished by a reduced role, in essence I was basically hitting catches and that was about it on the morning of a game.
“You want to be able to have clear communication with all stakeholders, including selectors and knowing what the team is as head coach at least a day before the game so you can help plan and prepare the players.
“That just made things a lot more difficult to be able to do my job effectively and then the board decided to not allow Tim to travel to South Africa, I’ve heard that was on the recommendation of someone which in essence made my job untenable,” he added.
Gillespie's first assignment as Pakistan coach was the Test series against Bangladesh where the hosts suffered a 2-0 defeat. The Shan Masood-led side also suffered a loss to England in the first Test but bounced back to win the final two games and the series.
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