Jason Gillespie isn’t one to mince his words. And when the former Aussie pacer recently opened up about his short and rocky spell with the Pakistan cricket team, he didn’t hold back.
In a brutally honest chat on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Gillespie admitted something that surprised many: his time with Pakistan made him fall out of love with coaching.
“Right now, I’m not sure I’m interested in coaching full-time,” he said. “Even if Australia comes calling—no, I’m not interested.”
Yes, you read that right. Even a call from his home team wouldn’t tempt him back.
Back in April 2024, Gillespie was appointed as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach. A few months later, he briefly took over white-ball duties after Gary Kirsten stepped down.
Expectations were high. After all, this was a decorated cricketer stepping into a high-profile role.
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But instead of growth and success, Gillespie says he was met with internal politics, communication breakdowns, and a lack of cohesion.
“The internal politics and lack of cohesion made the job untenable,” he revealed.
Gillespie’s time with Pakistan ended in December 2024—just eight months after it began. It wasn’t just the early exit that hurt. It was how things unfolded behind the scenes.
Despite leading Pakistan to a historic ODI series win in Australia, the tension and turmoil off the field left a mark.
“The Pakistan experience has soured my love for coaching, I’ll be honest. It really disappointed me how that all ended,” he admitted.
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“It really disappointed me how that all ended. It’s made me question whether I want to coach full-time again,” he added.
Jason Gillespie, who’s been coaching full-time for nearly 15 years, isn’t completely walking away from the game. But he’s stepping off the grind.
“I’m open to coaching in the leagues and doing some short-term work or consultancy,” he shared. “But the grind of full-time coaching—it’s just not on my agenda right now.”
In simpler terms, the passion is still there, but not the patience, at least not for the politics and pressure that come with national team jobs.
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