Gillespie’s future uncertain as Nielsen departs

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to not renew the contract of Pakistan’s high performance red-ball coach, Tim Nielsen, on Thursday, leading to uncertainty over Jason Gillespie’s future with the Pakistan test side.

Nielsen’s contract ended after Pakistan’s tour of Australia, and the PCB has decided that they no longer require his services. The PCB are looking for a local coach to take his place, according to sources.

“I was waiting for news about a contract extension, but the PCB has communicated that I am no longer needed.”

Tim Nielsen, former assistant coach

Sources also revealed that Jason Gillespie is discontent with the decision and has begun to consider future options. Gillespie, who has been the red-ball head coach since signing a two-year contract in April of this year, has had a less than amicable relationship with the PCB.

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The strife began with the removal of coaches from the PCB’s selection committee in October. Captains and coaches no longer have voting rights in the selection process, giving complete control voer to the five selectors, Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema. The move resulted in the departure of former white ball coach, Gary Kirsten. Gillespie replaced Kirsten as white ball coach for the series against Australia before Javed took over as interim-coach.

“I’m not a selector, I’m a match day strategist,” Gillespie stated following the announcement in October.

The departure of Nielsen may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, as media reports claim that the PCB did not inform Gillespie that his high-performance assistant coach would be missing from the upcoming test series against South Africa.

With the test series against South Africa beginning on December 26, Pakistan may be at risk of losing their head coach mere days before the contest begins. However, ESPNcricinfo reports that a resignation would result in a much lower payout for Gillespie than if he is sacked.

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