Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie has said he felt “completely humiliated” during his nine-month tenure with the Pakistan national team.
Gillespie was appointed head coach of the Pakistan Test side on 28 April, 2024. On the same day, the Pakistan Cricket Board also named South African Gary Kirsten as head coach of the white-ball teams and former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as the all-format assistant coach.
Six months into the arrangement, Kirsten stepped down from his role.
Following Kirsten’s exit, the PCB handed Gillespie the additional responsibility of coaching the white-ball teams as well.
Just two months later, Gillespie resigned. During and after his stint, the former Australia fast bowler had repeatedly spoken publicly about the treatment he received from the PCB and issues related to non-payment of dues.
The 50-year-old once again addressed the matter during a question-and-answer session on X. When asked by a user, “Why did you opt out of Pakistan coaching?”, Gillespie gave a blunt response, alleging humiliation at the hands of the board.
“I was coaching the Pakistan Test side. The PCB sacked our senior assistant coach with ZERO communication with me about it- as Head Coach, I found this situation completely unacceptable. There were a number of other issues which left me completely humiliated,” Gillespie wrote in his reply on X.
Responding to a separate message from a fan that read, “We love you @dizzy259 from Pakistan. You left our team but not a place from our hearts”, Gillespie said that his relationship with the players remained strong, but internal factors proved decisive.
“I really loved working with the players and I still have regular contact with a number of the lads. Sadly, politics and egos got in the way,” Gillespie said.
On the field, Gillespie oversaw Pakistan’s 2-1 home Test series win against England.
His tenure also included setbacks, with Pakistan losing 2-0 to Bangladesh at home in a two-match Test series.
After defeat in the opening Test against England, Gillespie also had to manage the difficult decision of Babar Azam being dropped from the playing XI due to poor form.
Throughout his time with the team, reports suggested that Gillespie was not aligned with several decisions taken by the PCB, and these differences culminated in his exit.
More recently, a PTI report claimed that the PCB have let go of Azhar Mahmood as Pakistan Test coach despite three months remaining on his contract. The identity of Pakistan’s next head coach remains unclear.