ESPNcricinfo understands the decision could be announced as soon as Monday. It is the day when Pakistan plays their final white-ball match on their ongoing tour of Australia – the third T20I of a series in which Australia already concluded 2-0. As things stand, it would be Gillespie’s last commitment in a brief and tumultuous tenure as head coach.
It is understood Aaqib was not the PCB’s first choice, with the board initially sounding out Gillespie to take over as all-formats coach until the end of the Champions Trophy next March. However, he was asked to take on the additional white-ball responsibility without changing his current contract – in effect, taking on two additional formats without being paid more for the greater scope of his role. Gillespie rejected that offer, leading the PCB to decide that they did not wish to have him in charge of the red-ball team and the search for an all-format coach began.
However, a PCB official attributes the decision to replace Gillespie to his not spending enough time in Pakistan. It is something the PCB had privately used to explain the resignation of Gary Kirsten, the most recent white-ball coach until he resigned last month. ESPNcricinfo understands Gillespie’s view is that he has spent every day his contract required him to be in Pakistan inside the country, plus he also did the Shaheens tour of Darwin without pay as a gesture of goodwill.
How much time Gillespie needs to spend in Pakistan is a debatable question at this point. They will have no home cricket for the next two months in any format and will travel directly from Australia to Zimbabwe, after which they will play an all-format series in South Africa. Their next home fixture is a two-Test series against the West Indies at the end of January, and their only white-ball games before the Champions Trophy will be a short tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in February.
After the PCB began searching for a coach, they initially considered elevating Azhar Mahmood or appointing Saqlain Mushtaq, who served as coach between 2021 and 2022. However, neither seemed to get enough support within the circle. advisor to the PCB, which led to Aaqib being offered the position. It is understood that he will be asked to take over until the end of the Champions Trophy, after which the PCB will reassess him.
The Gillespie era (should it come to an end, as expected) has been eventful. It all started in ignominious fashion when Pakistan fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Bangladesh, but things changed with a 2-1 comeback win against England – Pakistan’s first Test series win at home in almost four years. With Kirsten resigning soon after, he was appointed interim white-ball coach for the tour of Australia and oversaw Pakistan’s first series win in the country in 22 years, overturning another opening match defeat by claiming two crushing victories in the ODI series. . The T20I series that followed was interrupted by rain, but Australia concluded with one game to play.
The decision to part ways with Gillespie would also cap a notable year in Pakistan’s search for a coaching staff. Last November, then PCB president Zaka Ashraf told Mickey Arthur, then team director, that he would not go with the team to the Test series in Australia; Mohammad Hafeez played that role in his place. Arthur and Grant Bradburn, then head coach, left shortly after. Mohsin Naqvi took over as PCB president weeks later, beginning the search for what he called “the best possible coaches”, eventually appointing Gillespie and Kirsten.
At the time, he said that “their stellar background preceded them” and that they would be given independence to work with their respective sides. Six months later, Kirsten was gone, without coaching Pakistan in a single ODI, the format in which she won the 2011 World Cup with India. Apparently, Gillespie will follow imminently.
For Aaqib, meanwhile, the speed of his rise has been supersonic. Until a few weeks ago, he was the long-term coach and director of cricket operations for Lahore Qalandars, where he had a mixed record; He led the team to back-to-back PSL titles, but also finished in several last places, including earlier this season.
When he was appointed to the selection committee, the PCB top brass saw him as the brain behind implementing spin-friendly wickets against England to turn around that series. He left his position at the Qalandars to focus on the PCB, where he was initially considered the favorite to be appointed director of the National cricket Academy.
Earlier this year he worked for a time as Sri Lanka’s bowling coach, but now begins his most high-profile challenge. Pakistan has an intense cricket season leading up to the Champions Trophy. Six white-ball internationals against Zimbabwe will be followed by as many in South Africa, which will be followed by two test matches. Pakistan will then play two Tests against the West Indies at home and a tri-series with South Africa and New Zealand before the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.
Danyal Rasool is Pakistan correspondent for ESPNcricinfo. @danny61000
