Gillespie and PCB embroiled in bitter financial tussle with both sides narrating altogether different stories.
Gillespie and PCB have found themselves locked in a bitter financial tussle with regards to unpaid dues.
What exactly happened?
Gillespie said he was due payment for his labour and accused the board of many contract violations. In response, the PCB charged that Gillespie had failed to provide the board the four months of notice that was required by his contract.
In order to settle unpaid invoices, Gillespie contacted the PCB. Bonuses for leading Pakistan to a Test series triumph over England in October 2024 and an ODI series victory over Australia the following month are among them, he said. Although it’s unclear if the ICC has the authority to become involved in the case, Gillespie has referred it to them.
Gary Kirsten, Pakistan’s white-ball coach, resigned six months into his job after disagreements with the board, and Gillespie took over as caretaker manager of the ODI team in Australia. According to Gillespie, the PCB had given him explicit written guarantees on financial compensation that had not yet been fulfilled.
The PCB called Gillespie’s departure without fulfilling his notice period “a clear breach of contractual terms” in a statement released on Sunday, refuting statements he made in an interview with Pakpassion.
Bitter Relationship between both parties
Long before he quit, Gillespie’s relationship with the PCB had deteriorated. He said that his position had been reduced to that of a “matchday strategist” and that it “wasn’t what he signed up for” after being kicked off the selection panel two months prior. It was reported in November that Aqib Javed would coach the team instead of Gillespie for Pakistan’s trip to South Africa, and this eventually came to pass.
When fellow Australian Tim Nielsen, Gillespie’s assistant, was informed that his contract would not be renewed, it was the last straw. Gillespie thought the PCB wanted him to resign in order to avoid paying out his contract, and he saw this as just another attempt to weaken his authority.
The two parties’ disagreement started the day after the PCB made their hunt for a new head coach public. Javed will no longer be a part of the coaching staff after overseeing a run of subpar performances as interim coach since December.