Shocking Revelation: Why Jason Gillespie Stepped Down

Last week, former Australian fast-bowler Jason Gillespie stepped down after serving as Pakistan team’s red-ball head coach for 8 months. 

Gillespie’s resignation was highly unforeseen as he in no way looked uncomfortable in his position. 

The Australian pacer took the position of PCT’s red-ball head coach in April 2024 and was supposed to hold onto the position for the next two years. 

However, he handed in his resignation unexpectedly right before the beginning of the highly anticipated Pakistan tour of South Africa test series. 

According to various sources, Gillespie resigned after the PCB didn’t extend Tim Nielsen’s contract as high-performance coach. 

But Jason Gillespie has revealed the real reason behind his resignation while speaking to the Australian media. 

“When I went into the job, I want to make that very clear, I knew that Pakistan had been through a cycle of a number of coaches in a short period of time,” said Gillespie.

“I put my case forward and explained how I felt I could help. You want to create an environment where players are relaxed but focused. I felt that the Test side were very much on track doing that.”

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer, and I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have High-Performance coach Tim Nielsen,” the former pacer explained.

He added, “He was told that his services were no longer required, and I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that.”

“This situation, along with past incidents, made me question whether I was truly needed. Not informing the head coach about such a major decision compelled me to think this way.”

The PCB’s abrupt decision to let go of Tim Nielsen without any prior intimation to Jason Gillespie was the real reason behind the former pacer’s resignation. 

It’s worth noting that Gillespie’s short tenure was marked by many serious changes. Initially, he was a part of the test selection committee along with skipper Shan Masood. 

However, a bad start to his tenure led the PCB to exclude him and Shan from the selection committee. 

This decision resulted in him believing that his role was being downgraded. 

Remember, Jason Gillespie was the head coach only during Pakistan team’s home series against Bangladesh and England.