“Head coach’s job is to coach”: PCB chief hits out at Jason Gillespie over sudden departure

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi took an indirect jibe at former Test coach Jason Gillespie over his sudden departure. Just eight months after being roped in to the side, the former Australian pacer decided to part ways with the team for allegedly being kept in the dark and his powers being curtailed. As a result, Pakistan will now take on South Africa in a two-match Test series with interim coach Aaqib Javed leading from the front.

PCB chief’s indirect jibe at Jason Gillespie

Speaking to GeoNews, PCB chief Naqvi claimed that the role of the head coach was to only coach the team and not be involved in selection matters. He stated that it was the selection committee’s job to pick players. Earlier this year, the PCB decided to curtail the powers of captain and coach in selection matters and instead entrusted the responsibility to the revamped selection committee.

“The head coach’s role is to coach the team, while the selection committee is supposed to select players,” Naqvi said.

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What did Jason Gillespie say?

One of Gillespie’s primary frustrations was being removed from the selection process. Once sidelined, his responsibilities as head coach were significantly diminished, relegating him to little more than a match-day observer. Reflecting on the situation, Gillespie said on ABC Grandstand:

“In essence, I was basically hitting catches and that was about it on the morning of a game. You want to be able to have clear communication with all stakeholders, including selectors, and at least know what the team is before the game. That just made things a lot more difficult to do my job effectively.”