'Completely humiliated': Gillespie on coaching Pakistan — reveals details of chaotic exit
Jason Gillespie felt "completely humiliated" during his nine-month tenure as Pakistan's Test coach. He resigned after the PCB sacked senior assistant Tim Nielsen without consultation, a decision that blindsided him. Gillespie also revealed feeling marginalized, questioning the board's commitment to his role. A financial dispute over unpaid dues is ongoing.
Jason Gillespie (AP Photo)
NEW DELHI: Former Australia fast-bowling great Jason Gillespie has spoken candidly about his turbulent nine-month stint as Pakistan's Test team head coach, saying a series of decisions by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) left him feeling “completely humiliated” and ultimately forced his resignation.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Gillespie was appointed Pakistan's red-ball coach in April 2024, with former South Africa batter Gary Kirsten taking charge of white-ball formats. But the dual-coach experiment quickly unravelled. Kirsten stepped down in October, and Gillespie followed in December after the PCB abruptly removed senior assistant Tim Nielsen without consulting him.
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“I was coaching the Pakistan Test side. The PCB sacked our senior assistant coach with ZERO communication with me about it,” Gillespie wrote on X.
“As head coach I found this situation completely unacceptable. There were a number of other issues which left me completely humiliated.”
Nielsen, a former Australia head coach, had been appointed as high-performance red-ball coach in August 2024 but was informed his services were no longer required ahead of Pakistan's 2024–25 tour of South Africa. Gillespie said the decision blindsided him and became the final breaking point.
Speaking to ABC Sport, Gillespie said he had entered the role aware of the challenges. “I went into the job eyes wide open. I knew Pakistan had cycled through a number of coaches in a pretty short space of time,” he said. “But the straw that broke the camel's back was being completely and utterly blindsided by that decision.”
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He added that the lack of communication extended well beyond Nielsen's axing. “I just thought, ‘I'm not really sure if they actually want me to do this job or not'.”Gillespie also revealed how marginalised he felt in the role. “I felt I was basically hitting catches and that was about it on the morning of a game,” he said, stressing the importance of clear dialogue with selectors and administrators.After briefly serving as interim white-ball coach, Gillespie was replaced by