Nielsen, who was appointed in August of this year, officially designated as a “red ball high performance coach”, had seen his contract expire; was up for renewal following Pakistan’s tour of Australia, and had been waiting to hear a decision on an extension. He told ESPNcricinfo that he felt he was “making good progress” with the team and was fully committed to the Test series against South Africa and the West Indies, but that the PCB had told him his services were no longer required.
It is understood PCB did not inform Gillespie in advance that he would no longer have his assistant coach by his side in South Africa, a decision which left him very unimpressed. The fact that he was not consulted beforehand appears to be the most significant catalyst for his irritation, and fits with a broader pattern of Gillespie’s roles and authority that have been steadily eroding in recent months.
In October, he was removed from the Test team selection panel, saying he was now simply a “matchday tactician”. There was limited communication between the player and the management since the end of Pakistan’s white-ball series in Australia, where he coached the team on an interim basis after Gary Kirsten resigned.
It is understood that Gillespie’s anger was partly due to what he felt was a great relationship that Nielsen had developed with the players, a point he had raised more than once in public. Both Gillespie and Nielsen are believed to consider the fact that Nielsen does not reside in Pakistan as the reason why his contract has not been extended, although, as Nielsen confirmed, he would have been available for the next two tours in their entirety.
While it is understood that the PCB is yet to make a decision on any possible replacement for Nielsen, the current management has sought to replace the foreign coaches it appointed earlier in the year with Pakistan-based coaches. In the past, the PCB has attributed not spending enough time in Pakistan as a reason for its discontent with foreign coaches, most notably in the case of Gary Kirsten, who resigned in October. Gillespie, however, has always maintained that he has met his contractual obligations in that regard.
While it is understood that Gillespie has not ruled out the possibility of retiring ahead of the series against South Africa, the terms on which his time at the PCB ends remains of crucial importance in what happens next. If the PCB decides to fire him, they could be forced to pay the vast majority of what remains of his contract, which runs until mid-2026. If he were to resign of his own free will, that payment would be significantly less.
Gillespie is scheduled to travel to South Africa from his home in Australia on December 13. Pakistan will play the first Test in Centurion on December 26, and the second in Cape Town will begin on January 3.
ESPNcricinfo contacted the PCB for comment but did not receive a response.
