Pakistan board appoints Jason Gillespie as white-ball coach for Australia tour

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Jason Gillespie as the white-ball head coach for the team's Australia tour following the acceptance of Gary Kirsten's resignation.

In Short

• Jason Gillespie appointed coach for Pakistan's white-ball team
• Gary Kirsten has resigned as Pakistan's white-ball coach
• Mohammad Rizwan is new captain for Pakistan's white-ball squads

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the appointment of Jason Gillespie as the head coach for the Pakistan men’s team in white-ball formats for their upcoming tour of Australia. The decision comes following the resignation of Gary Kirsten, which was formally accepted by the board earlier today.

Gillespie, who has served as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach, will now extend his duties to oversee the team's One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) series against Australia. The tour is set to commence on November 4, featuring a lineup of intense matches as both teams aim to build momentum ahead of the ICC World T20 scheduled next year.

This change comes alongside the announcement of Mohammad Rizwan as the new full-time captain for Pakistan's white-ball squads, as unveiled on Sunday with the team selections for both the Australian and Zimbabwe tours.

The coaches have reportedly felt increasingly marginalized by the growing authority of Pakistan's selection committee. Following Pakistan's loss in the first Test against England, the PCB appointed a new selection panel-its third in three months-comprising Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema, while excluding both the coaches and captain from selection.

Dar reportedly spearheaded the idea to prepare a recycled pitch for the second Test in Multan, which Pakistan subsequently won, while Aaqib emerged as the face of this new approach. This shift prompted white-ball captain Rizwan to quip that Pakistan was now playing "Aaqib-ball" during the Test.

Kirsten's tenure, which began in mid-May following his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, has been marred by a series of challenges. Pakistan faced a series loss against England under his guidance and struggled in the recent T20 World Cup, with disappointing losses to the United States and India, which eliminated them from the knockout stages.

This unexpected transition raises concerns for the PCB, with less than four months remaining before the ICC Champions Trophy, which Pakistan will be hosting for the first time in over two decades. The PCB is now tasked with securing a new head coach for the white-ball team ahead of this high-stakes tournament.