The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken a significant step towards rebuilding its red-ball team by appointing former Australian first-class player Tim Nielsen as the new high-performance coach. This move comes hot on the heels of the appointment of former Australian pace bowler Jason Gillespie as the red-ball head coach.
A source within the PCB has confirmed that Nielsen, who boasts four years of experience coaching the Australian national team, was recommended by Gillespie. Their prior collaboration at the South Australian cricket academy likely played a pivotal role in this decision.
The PCB has stated that the appointment of Nielsen aims to strengthen the team’s preparations for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. Nielsen has already joined Gillespie’s support staff, and the duo will be closely monitoring the Pakistan training camp that commences on August 11.
The two-Test series against Bangladesh is scheduled to take place in August. The first match will be held in Rawalpindi from August 21 to 25, followed by the second Test in Karachi from August 30 to September 3.
The PCB has retained former Test player Azhar Mahmood as the assistant coach to Gillespie, while Gary Kirsten remains the white-ball coach. This combination of experienced coaching personnel aims to guide the Pakistani team towards a successful resurgence in the red-ball format.
