Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie resigned from his position ahead of the Test series against South Africa as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continues to see a flurry of changes.

Interim white-ball coach Aqib Javed would perform head coach duties in the longer format of the game after Gillespie’s exit.

Pakistan cricket has seen a flurry of changes in the recent past, starting from the white-ball head coach’s abrupt resignation from his position in October. Gary Kirsten quit after just six months in the role and a week before a tour of Australia.

After this, the PCB appointed Javed as the interim coach for the shorter format of the game.

The former Australian fast bowler’s resignation was expected after the board dismissed Tim Nielsen from his position as assistant coach earlier in the day. The board did not renew his contract.

Reports suggested that Gillespie was surprised by the PCB’s decision, as he was not consulted prior to Nielsen’s termination.

The national Test squad is set to depart for South Africa tomorrow (Friday) and Gillespie was expected to accompany the team.

In July this year, the former Australian fast bowler took charge as red-ball coach. The 49-year-old, appointed for two years, started his service with a two-match series against Bangladesh. The home side lost the series against the visitors.

Gillespie was one of the two foreign head coaches the board appointed this year. “Kirsten and Gillespie were world-famous coaches and their arrival gave 100 per cent confirmation of the trust they had in the team,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said when he announced their names at a press conference on April 28, 2024.

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But fissures started appearing in the management when the side showed a lacklustre performance in the T20 World Cup and the board limited the role of coaches in the selection panel.

After Bangladesh’s historic Test series win against Pakistan, the board added retired international umpire Aleem Dar and former Test players Azhar Ali and Aaqib Javed to the men’s national selection committee.

This change was short-lived as the board cut down the number of its members from 11 to just five a month later.

Reports said that the Test head coach was not satisfied after being removed from the committee.