Former Pakistan National Cricket Team head coach Jason Gillespie has opened up about the reasons behind his resignation from the role, just months after taking over. The 49-year-old Australian expressed frustration with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), accusing them of poor communication and leaving him sidelined from key decisions.

Gillespie, who was appointed as Pakistan’s red-ball coach in April 2024, spoke to ABC Sport, revealing that he felt "completely and utterly blindsided" by the PCB's decision to remove Tim Nielsen, the team’s high-performance coach, without any prior discussion. According to Gillespie, this decision was the final straw that led to his resignation.

"The straw that broke the camel's back was the lack of communication with my employer. I was completely blindsided by the decision to sack Tim Nielsen without any input or knowledge from me as the head coach," Gillespie stated.

Gillespie’s dissatisfaction stemmed from what he described as a disconnect between him and the PCB. He explained that as a head coach, he expected to be consulted on critical matters such as team selection and staffing decisions, but instead, he was often left out of the loop.

"You want to have clear communication with all stakeholders, including selectors, and know the team well before the game, but I felt I wasn’t involved in the process," he added.

The former Australian fast bowler also expressed disappointment over the handling of Nielsen’s departure, whom he described as a crucial part of the team’s progress.

"I had developed a close relationship with Shan Masood (Pakistan's Test captain), and I felt things were moving in the right direction. The feedback we received about Tim was extremely positive, and the players were benefiting from his input," Gillespie remarked.

Despite these issues, Gillespie emphasized that he had taken on the role fully aware of the challenges. However, the combination of being excluded from key decisions and the sacking of Nielsen led him to believe that the PCB did not fully support his vision. "I went into the job with my eyes wide open, knowing Pakistan had cycled through coaches quickly. But after everything that happened, I wasn’t sure they really wanted me to do the job," he admitted.