Pakistan red-ball coach Jason Gillespie on Wednesday confirmed the PCB’s decision to strip him of powers in selection matters, much against the assurance of a free-hand that he was promised of while taking charge of the team. In fact, both Gillespie and Test skipper Shan Masood will no longer have a say in selection policies and they were informed of the call by a Pakistan Cricket Board official after the first Test against England at Multan, which the hosts lost by an innings and 47 runs. “I’m now just the coach for match day strategy. So, I keep out of things now and just focus on the players and getting them ready for cricket,” a clearly downcast Gillispie said in a media conference.
A PCB source said both Gillespie and Masood will have a chat with the board officials after the third Test against England, beginning here from Thursday.
“They (Gillespie and Masood) apparently have decided to keep quiet for now but will most probably have a discussion about the matter with the PCB Chairman after the series,” the source said.
He didn’t rule out the possibility of Gillespie rethinking about his contract with the PCB after returning to Australia after the series, which is currently locked at 1-1.
“Gillespie and white ball head coach, Gary Kirsten were brought in with the assurance that they would have complete say in every matter related to the team including selection of squads and playing eleven. But that has now changed at least for Gillispie,” the source added.
“The PCB came in after that (first) Test match. It was decided that a new selection panel would come in, and they would be making decisions. I wasn’t involved in the decision-making,” Gillespie confirmed to the media.
The former Australian pacer made it clear that his focus was now on the players and leaving selection matters to the newly-appointed committee.
“Look, it’s not for me to talk about now. I am not a selector. I am a match day strategist as head coach, and I’m all about the players. My focus is on them.
“I will let the selectors do their job, and we will just go out there and play the best cricket we can possibly play,” he said.
The revamped selection committee includes former umpire Aleem Dar and former players Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, and Hassan Cheema, who will now select squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia and Zimbabwe.
The selectors have now also been given authority to have a say in the preparation of the pitches for the Test matches.
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