Why did Jason Gillespie resign as Pakistan’s Test coach?

Pakistan cricket team’s off-field issues just don’t seem to end. Jason Gillespie has decided to quit as the Test team coach just days before the start of the South African tour. The former Australian pace was supposed to be at the helm for the two-match series against South Africa. 

Aaqib Javed has been named as the interim Test coach for Pakistan ahead of the two-match series. The former Pakistani pacer is already the interim white-ball coach after Gary Kirsten’s sudden resignation. This latest move has plunged Pakistan cricket into deeper chaos. 

Gillespie had started to see results getting delivered in recent times. Shan Masood’s side beat England at home with a 2-1 margin. This was their first Test series win at home for three years. The former Aussie star also guided Pakistan to a 2-1 ODI series win in Australia. Mohammad Rizwan’s side had won their first ODI series in Australia for 22 years. 

Behind the scenes friction, what's the reason behind Gilliespie’s move?

According to various reports, Jason Gillespie wasn’t happy with many moves in recent times pulled by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Just after the loss to England in the first Test in Multan, it came to light that both Kirsten and Gillespie had lost any say in selection matters. This didn’t sit down well with the duo, and Kirsten decided to quit immediately. 

One of the biggest issues that took place was that PCB didn’t bother to renew the contract of Tim Nielsen. The former South Australian star was with Pakistan, serving as the high-performance coach. Nielsen was hired by Pakistan based on the recommendation made by Gillespie. 

With the friction between the coach and PCB rising, the news of resignation tendered by Gillespie came to light. PCB put out a short statement which read, “The PCB has named Aaqib Javed as interim red-ball head coach following the resignation of red-ball head-coach Jason Gillespie.”

Pakistan Cricket Team began their South African tour with a loss in the first T20I on Tuesday by 11 runs. The second game of the series is set to be played on Friday, with the final match on Saturday. This will be followed by the 3-match ODI series starting on 17th December. Two teams will then play the first Test in Centurion on Boxing Day, and the final game will be played in Cape Town starting on 3rd January.