Jason Gillespie has turned down the possibility of coaching full-time again in the near future after his “disappointing” time with the Pakistan Test team.
The former Australia quick had taken over the role in April 2024 but stepped down in December after being “utterly blindsided” by some of the decisions the management had taken.
The experience has left him jaded, as he rules out a full-time coaching comeback. Speaking on the recent episode of the Wisden Patreon podcast, he said: “Right now, I’m not sure I’m interested in coaching full time. [Even if Australia come calling] No, I’m not interested.”
The unceremonious exit as Pakistan Test coach
Gillespie, who was also appointed the interim white-ball coach of Pakistan after Gary Kirsten’s resignation last year, put down his papers soon after guiding the team to a historic ODI series win in Australia. He later revealed the reason he was forced to take the step was lack of communication with the PCB after they parted ways with Tim Nielsen, the high-performance coach.
He also criticised Aqib Javed, who took over as the interim head coach after his departure last month, calling him a “clown” and for undermining him during his coaching tenure.
Gillespie has now stated that his “soured” experience in Pakistan has hindered his will to oversee a team for a longer duration. “The Pakistan experience has soured my love for coaching, I’ll be honest. I’ll get it back, I’m sure I will, but that was really a blow,” he said. “It really disappointed me, how that all ended.
“It’s had me question whether I want to coach full time again.”
He, was, however, open to coaching in T20 leagues. “I’m open to coaching in the leagues and some short-term coaching or as a consultant. But as for a full-time coaching role, right now, it’s not on my agenda. I’ve been coaching full time for the best part of 15 years, I just think that it’s time I did something else.”
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