Tim Neilson was appointed high-performance red-ball coach in August this year. His contract was to be renewed after Pakistan’s tour of Australia. He was waiting for the decision regarding this. He told ESPNcricinfo that he felt he was progressing well with the team and was fully committed to the Test series against South Africa and West Indies, but the PCB informed him that his services were no longer required.
It is believed that the PCB did not tell Gillespie in advance that he would now be Bager’s assistant coach in South Africa. He is very unhappy with this decision. They were not consulted beforehand. This is the biggest reason for their resentment. This is another example of Gillespie’s role and authority being limited over the past few months. In October he was dropped from the Test team selection panel. He was told that now he is only a matchday strategist. There was limited communication between the players and the board after the end of Pakistan’s white-ball series in Australia. Gillespie coached the team on an interim basis following the departure of Gary Kirsten on this tour.
Jason Gillespie is angry
Gillespie feels that Neilson has built a great rapport with the players. He has said this publicly many times. This is probably also the reason for his anger. Nielsen’s contract was probably not extended because he did not live in Pakistan. Gillespie and Nielsen think so.
Who will be Nielsen’s replacement?
At present, the PCB has not yet decided on Nielsen’s replacement. The current administration wants to replace the foreign coaches appointed at the beginning of the year with Pakistani coaches. The PCB has in the past cited the reason for its dissatisfaction with foreign coaches as not spending enough time in Pakistan. Especially in the case of Gary Kirsten who stepped down in October. However, Gillespie has always maintained that he has fulfilled his contractual obligations in this regard.