Gillespie claims Pakistan owes him money as horror tour triggers probe
Jason Gillespie has claimed the Pakistan Cricket Board owes him thousands of dollars from his time as head coach as he reflected on a tenure that left him “deflated” and questioning if he still wanted to be involved in the sport.
The fresh claim made by the 71-Test Australian great comes as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) investigates “media reports concerning discipline and conduct”, amid the country’s train wreck tour of England.
Jason Gillespie during his coaching tenure with Pakistan. Getty Images
The PCB took an extraordinary stand after the team went down 2-0 in the three-Test series at Lord’s last week, sending home seven players and sacking head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, as well as bowling coach Umar Gul.
Gillespie served as head coach of Pakistan’s red-ball team for eight months in 2024.
The chaos that is Pakistan cricket became too much to handle, so he quit.
Fresh comments made by Gillespie in an interview with UK’s The Telegraph have plunged the PCB into even more turmoil.
“The PCB still owes me thousands of dollars, but I was never going to be a yes man,” Gillespie said.
“I wasn’t going to compromise on my principles. I never have throughout my career and I certainly wasn’t going to change.
“I could have stayed quiet, agreed to everything and taken home my salary, but that’s not me, and part of me knew I was probably going to be sacked in a couple of months anyway.”
Toxic power struggles and a lack of communication drove Gillespie mad in his eight months as Pakistan’s head coach.
He said the appointment of former Pakistan paceman Aaqib Javed to the selection committee in October 2024 “fundamentally altered the landscape”.
Javed is now also Pakistan’s high-performance director.
He publicly blasted opening batter Imam-ul-Haq for not playing through a calf tear at Lord’s.
“I was totally disrespected and undermined, and I direct that towards Aaqib Javed,” Gillespie said.
“... The whole experience just deflated me and put me off coaching.
“It affected me mentally, doubting myself and left me thinking whether I still wanted to be involved in the sport.”
Mohammad Rizwan trudges off at Lord’s after being dismissed. Stu Forster/Getty Images
Pakistan lost the first Test of the England tour by an innings and 103 runs, and the second Test by 194 runs.
Seven players – Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad – were booted from the tour after the loss at Lord’s.
Now, the PCB’s head of communications Amir Mir has confirmed an internal investigation is under way.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” Mir wrote on X.
“The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration.
“At this stage, any speculative reports or unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible.”
Pakistan cricket’s latest implosion has been hard for Gillespie to watch.
“It’s heartbreaking for me to see what’s going on now,” the 51-year-old said.
“It’s a mess.”
