Aqib named interim red-ball head coach following Gillespie's resignation
Cricket
Aqib’s first assignment as red-ball head-coach will be two-match Test series against South Africa.
LAHORE (Dunya News) - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named Aqib Javed as interim red-ball head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team following the resignation of red-ball head-coach Jason Gillespie.
Aqib’s first assignment as red-ball head-coach will be the two-match Test series against South Africa during the ongoing all-format tour. The first Test is scheduled at the SuperSport Park in Centurion from 26 to 30 December. The second Test will be played at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town from 3 to 7 January.
The Pakistan men’s side are currently in South Africa featuring in a three-match T20I series, which will be followed by a three-match ODI series.
Earlier, Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie tendered resignation ahead of South Africa Test series after tension with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) heightened for not extending the contract of his assistant Tim Nielsen.
Sources said Gillespie had decided to take early retirement like Pakistan’s former white-ball coach Gary Kirsten. They added that Gillespie's relationship with PCB had already been deteriorating.
The tension worsened further after PCB’s decision regarding Nielsen, the high-performance coach of Pakistan team, made him upset.
Pakistan team is currently in South Africa to play an all-format series. The first of three T20Is was played on Tuesday earlier this week at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
The second and third T20Is are scheduled to take place on 13 and 14 December at the SuperSport Park, Centurion and The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, respectively. The three ODIs will take place on 17, 19 and 22 December followed by the Centurion Test on 26 December and Cape Town Test on 3 January.
Earlier in the day, PCB parted ways with Tim Nielsen by not extending his contract. Talking to a sports website, he said that they were preparing for the series against South Africa and the West Indies but was informed by the PCB that his services were no longer required.
It is important to note that Tim Nielsen was brought in by Red Ball Head Coach Jason Gillespie, and he had been appointed with the Test team in August.
