Jason Gillespie is not expected to travel to South Africa with Pakistan’s Test team.As things stand, Jason Gillespie is unlikely to board his flight to accompany the team on their tour of South Africa, bringing his resignation as head coach of the Pakistan Test team closer to reality. As his relationship with the PCB reaches an all-time low, Gillespie appears to have no intention of boarding his scheduled aircraft to South Africa, which is set for 6am Adelaide time on Friday.
As ESPNcricinfo initially reported, Gillespie was left contemplating his options and was especially incensed when the PCB chose not to extend the contract of high-performance red-ball coach Tim Nielsen. Gillespie was believed to have been disrespected by the PCB and was unhappy that he wasn’t informed or even contacted before the decision was made.
Although he was notified that his skills would no longer be needed, Nielsen told ESPNcricinfo that he was pleased to continue and was available for Pakistan’s Test series in South Africa and at home against the West Indies next month. This seems to have been Gillespie’s last straw. According to ESPNcricinfo, he informed the board that he would not be going to South Africa at this time. It’s unknown if the PCB has contacted him to encourage him to go. According to a person close to Gillespie, the PCB had not gotten in touch with him in the previous day. The PCB has been contacted by ESPNcricinfo for comment.
In any case, a relationship that has been steadily deteriorating over the last few months is about to explode. With much hoopla, the PCB hired Gillespie and Gary Kirsten as white-ball coaches in April. According to chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Gillespie’s “stellar track record” preceded him. However, the board has changed its mind about the Australian since October, originally removing him from the Test team’s selection panel. Gillespie pointed out that it wasn’t what he signed up for and felt he was only a “matchday analyst” as a result.
Gillespie was not informed of the decision to not renew Nielsen’s contract, and it is thought that he had little influence over the choice of the Test team for the South Africa tour.
Since the conclusion of Pakistan’s white-ball series in Australia last month, when he served as the team’s temporary coach following Kirsten’s resignation in October, there hasn’t been much communication between Gillespie and the PCB. In order to reflect the expanded scope of his employment, the PCB did first ask Gillespie to remain in that role until the Champions Trophy early the next year, but they did not provide a corresponding pay offer. That contributed to the strained relationship between the board and the head coach, and since then, things have only gotten worse.
