Former South African player Jason Gillespie has left his role as the coach of Pakistan’s Test team, following which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday appointed former fast bowler Aaqib Javed for the upcoming two-match series against South Africa. Responsibility has been assigned.
Pakistan will play two Tests against South Africa from 26 December. The team is in South Africa for the limited overs series before the Test. Aaqib is currently also the interim coach of Pakistan’s white ball team. Gillespie’s contract was due to expire in 2026 but he resigned after the PCB did not review Tim Nielsen’s contract.
On Gillespie’s recommendation, Neilson was appointed the team’s high performance coach. Gillespie was also unhappy with the PCB’s decision to remove his powers from being involved in team selection and pitch preparation. Before Gillespie, the team’s limited overs format coach Gary Kirsten had also resigned before Pakistan left for the series in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Both Gillespie and Kirsten were appointed on two-year contracts ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. With this appointment, PCB had promised a new era for the Pakistan team. Kirsten had resigned citing differences with the PCB on authority matters. After Aaqib was appointed senior selector, the board’s differences with foreign coaches started. PCB had given complete freedom to Aaqib in team selection.