Nielsen, who was appointed in August this year as officially designated “high-performance red-ball coach”, had seen his contract expire; It was due to be renewed after Pakistan’s tour of Australia, and he was waiting to hear about a decision on an extension. He told ESPNcricinfo that he felt he was making “good progress” with the team and was fully committed to the Test series against South Africa and West Indies, but the PCB had told him that his services were no longer required. Is.
It is understood that Gillespie is extremely unhappy with the decision that the PCB did not inform him ahead of time that he would no longer be retaining his assistant coach in South Africa. That he was not consulted beforehand appears to be the most significant catalyst for his irritation, and fits with a broader pattern of a steady diminishing of Gillespie’s roles and authority over the past few months.
In October, he was dropped from the Test team selection panel and told that he was now only a “match day strategist”. There had been limited communication between the player and the board since the end of Pakistan’s white-ball series in Australia, where he coached the team on an interim basis after Gary Kirsten stepped down.
Gillespie’s anger was understood to be partly due to the good relationship Neilson had developed with the players, which he expressed publicly more than once. It is believed that both Gillespie and Nielsen consider the fact that Nielsen is not based in Pakistan to be the reason why his contract has not been extended, however, as Nielsen has confirmed, he will be playing for the upcoming two tours. Would have been completely available.
Although it is understood that the PCB has not yet taken any decision on a possible replacement for Nielsen, the current administration has sought to replace the foreign coaches appointed at the beginning of the year with Pakistan-based coaches. In the past, the PCB has cited not spending enough time in Pakistan as a reason for its dissatisfaction with foreign coaches, most notably in the case of Gary Kirsten, who stepped down in October. However, Gillespie has always maintained that he has fulfilled his contractual obligations in this regard.
While it is understood that Gillespie has not ruled out the possibility of stepping down before the series against South Africa, the terms on which his tenure at the PCB will end are extremely important for what happens next. If the PCB decides to sack him, they could potentially be willing to pay the bulk of the remaining portion of his contract, which runs until mid-2026. Should he resign of his own free will, that payout is significantly less.
Gillespie is due to travel to South Africa from his home in Australia on December 13. Pakistan will play the first Test on December 26 in Centurion, while the second will begin on January 3 in Cape Town.
ESPNcricinfo has contacted the PCB for comment, but has not received a response.
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