Jason Gillespie’s future uncertain as PCB does not extend Tim Nielsen’s contract. (Source – Getty Images)
The future of Pakistan’s current red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie, hangs in delicate balance after his assistant Tim Nielsen’s contract was left to expire ahead of Pakistan’s forthcoming Test tour of South Africa.
Interestingly, Nielsen was appointed in August this year. He was occupying the role of Pakistan‘s high-performance red-ball coach. His agreement was up for renewal after Pakistan’s tour of Australia. According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, he felt that he was “making good progress” with the side.
It is understood that PCB did not inform Gillespie ahead of time he would no longer have his assistant coach by his side in South Africa, a decision that has left him extremely unimpressed. This comes after the overarching trend of Gillespie’s responsibilities with the team gradually diminishing over the past few months. He was withdrawn from the selection panel for the Test side in October, which left him as a mere “matchday strategist”.
It is assumed that the anger stirred up within Gillespie is because he felt that Nielsen had developed a connection with the players. It is strongly believed that one of the main reasons for Nielsen’s contract not being renewed is that he is not based in Pakistan.
The PCB asked Gillespie to take up an interim position as Pakistan’s white-ball coach up until the Champions Trophy. However, they did not couple it with a financial offer. Aqib Javed was later appointed as the caretaker coach. This was yet another factor which is speculated to have strained the relations between the board and Gillespie.
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The PCB uploaded a statement denying Gillespie’s job being under threat last month, and reaffirmed that Gillespie would be Pakistan’s head coach for the two Test matches against South Africa. This came after there was widespread conjecture on his future. However, they did not commit to stating that he would be at the helm for the remaining tenure. He is slated to travel to South Africa from his home in Australia on December 13.
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