The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been involved in yet another controversy with former red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie, this time criticizing PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. In an interview on a recent podcast, Gillespie lambasted Naqvi for missing an important team-building exercise, referred to as the Connection Camp, to improve cohesion and communication within the national team.
“Gary came up with this great idea of a connection camp. Everyone in Pakistan cricket basically shared their experiences in that meeting. I flew in from Australia, Gary flew in from South Africa, the Chairman Mohsin Naqvi dialed in Zoom,” he said.
“He is based in Lahore, but he did not come, while Gary came in from Africa. We both felt that the Chairman could not even drive 20 minutes to come here – that was a bit unusual,” he added.
Gillespie, who had collaborated with white-ball coach Gary Kirsten to plan and attend the camp, was disappointed by the PCB leadership’s absence of interest. He asserted that regardless of efforts, Naqvi’s unavailability conveyed the wrong message regarding the board’s devotion to team culture and team spirit.
Gillespie, who resigned as Test coach subsequently that year, employed the podcast to draw attention to what he perceives as a lost chance for senior management to engage and assist the team in meaningful ways.
