Jason Gillespie opens up about short stint as Pakan coach: ‘Number of other issues which left me completely humiliated’ | Cricket News

Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie, who was also the head coach of the Pakan national team for 9 months after being appointed in 2024, said that the Pakan Cricket Board’s decision to sack Tim Nielsen as high performance red-ball coach without zero communications left him completely humiliated and hastened his exit from the team.
“I was coaching the Pakan Test side. The PCB sacked our senior assant coach with ZERO communication with me about it- as Head Coach I found this situation completely unacceptable,” Gillespie wrote on ‘X’ when asked a user why he had left his role with the Pakan Test team. “There were a number of other issues which left me completely humiliated,” he added.
In April 2024, the PCB appointed Gillespie as the head coach in red-ball cricket and former South African batter Gary Kirsten was roped in for a similar role in white-ball formats. However, Kirsten’s resignation in October later that year followed Gillespie’s in December, when Nielsen was communicated the PCB that his services would not be needed before the tour of South Africa 2024-25. A former head coach of the Australian team, Nielsen was appointed as the high performance red-ball coach in August 2024.

I was coaching the Pakan Test side. The PCB sacked our senior assant 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.@stillnotoutpod https://t.co/AqATYAfiyg
— Jason Gillespie (@dizzy259) January 1, 2026

In between his resignation and the exit of Kirsten, Gillespie had also served as the interim white-ball coach. Gillespie was succeeded former Pakan cricketer Aaqib Javed across formats, who was also serving on the selection panel. While he was with the Pakan team, Gillespie felt he was “completely and utterly blindsided” the PCB.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back, I suppose, was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer. Tim Nielsen was told that his services were no longer required and I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that, and I just thought after a number of other things that had gone on in the previous few months, that was probably the moment where I thought, ‘Well, I’m not really sure if they actually really want me to do this job or not,” he had said in an interview in December 2024 after his resignation.
(With agency inputs)