Kamilaroi former Australian Test quick Jason Gillespie has opened up about the "straw that broke the camel's back" which led him to quit as Pakistan's Test coach, saying he was "completely and utterly blindsided" by the country's cricket board.
Speaking to ABC Grandstand on Monday, Gillespie confirmed former South Australian teammate Tim Nielsen's sudden axing as his assistant coach led to the decision.
'Dizzy', one of four Indigenous Australians to earn a baggy green, started a two-year deal as Pakistan's men's Test head coach in April, announcing his resignation after Nielsen's exit last week.
Selection decisions, an abrupt take up of white-ball coaching responsibilities as a result of previous departures and rumours of questions over his commitment related to time physically spent in Pakistan had all arisen during his tenure.
"I went into the job eyes wide open, I want to make that really clear," Gillespie told ABC.
"But the straw that broke the camel's back, I suppose, was as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer (the PCB) and I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have a high performance coach…senior assistant coach (in Neilsen).
"I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that. And I just thought that after a number of other things that had gone on in previous few months, that was probably the moment where I thought, well, I'm not really sure if they actually really want me to do this job or not."
He later added "I felt it made my job untenable".
During Gillespie's time in charge, Pakistan responded to a 2-nil home series loss to Bangladesh with a comeback 2-1 series win over a touring England.
"To get all the positive feedback from everyone involved with Pakistan cricket about how effective we were as a coaching group for then a decision to be made...when the head coach doesn't get a text message, phone call, email about a decision that's going to be made - that's a pretty big decision, it just left me thinking, well, I'm really not sure if the PCB actually really want me to be part of it," Gillespie said.
Gillespie added a "carrot", alongside the "challenge", to taking the job was to see the team get the best out of themselves, but was left feeling his role was reduced to "basically hitting catches, and that was about it".
Still, the Aussie cult figure holds high hopes for the country's potential on the world stage.
"What we've got to understand is Pakistan is a country of 250 million people, and cricket is the sport," he said.
"Cricket is number one, and then daylight…they just live and breathe it.
"The talent's there. If it can be nurtured and developed and (have) everything move in the right direction, there's no reason why Pakistan can't be a powerhouse".
