Jason Gillespie to coach Pakistan against Australia after Gary Kirsten's resignation "accepted": PCB
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced it has "accepted" men's white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten's resignation on Monday, October 28. Red-ball coach Jason Gillespie will take over the team for the upcoming tour of Australia.
Kirsten and Gillespie were appointed to their respective positions in April 2024. Kirsten oversaw Pakistan's early exit from the 2024 men's T20 World Cup which followed a 2-0 defeat to England in a bilateral T20 series.
Local reports in Pakistan suggest he had some disagreements with the PCB and its newly appointed selection committee over the squad for the Australia tour and the recently announced new list of central contracts.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted," the PCB said in a statement.
Gillespie's tenure hasn't been much better. His Test team conceded a 2-0 whitewash to Bangladesh at home but overcame a 1-0 deficit against England to win the series 2-1 last week.
Gillespie to join new captain Mohammad Rizwan in Australia
Kirsten's resignation comes only a day after the PCB appointed a new white-ball captain wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan to replace Babar Azam. Gillespie will have a lot on his hand in managing such a transitional phase in the team.
Moreover, the new selection committee has removed the former Australian international from the squad-choosing procedures for red-ball cricket and it seems unlikely that he'll have any input for the white-ball team either.
"You can't not have input from the coach in terms of selection,he looks the players in the eye everyday and for his role to be taken seriously needs to communicate clearly on roles with the players and give feedback!" former coach and director Micky Arthur said on the subject on Monday.
Pakistan will play three ODIs and three T20Is in Australia from November 4 to kick off the preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy on home soil.