Pakinomist understands the decision could be announced as early as Monday. It’s the day Pakistan play their final white-ball match of their ongoing tour of Australia – the third T20I in a series Australia have already finished 2-0. As things stand, it would be Gillespie’s final commitment in a short, tumultuous tenure as head coach.

It is understood Aaqib was not the PCB’s first choice, with the board initially tipping Gillespie to take over as coach in all formats until the end of the Champions Trophy next March. However, he was asked to take on the additional white-ball responsibility without changing his current contract: effectively taking on two additional formats without being paid more for the increased scope of his role. Gillespie rejected that offer, prompting the PCB to decide that they did not want him in charge of the red ball, and began searching for an all-format coach.

However, a PCB official attributes the decision to replace Gillespie to him not spending enough time in Pakistan. It is something the PCB had privately used to explain the resignation of Gary Kirsten, the most recent white-ball coach before, until he quit last month. Pakinomist understands Gillespie’s view is that he has spent every day his contract required him to be in Pakistan in the country, in addition to also making the Shaheens’ trip to Darwin unpaid as a gesture of goodwill.

How much time Gillespie will spend in Pakistan is an issue at the moment. They have no cricket at home for the next two months in any format and go straight from Australia to Zimbabwe before playing an all-format series in South Africa. Their next engagement on home soil is a two-Test series against the West Indies at the end of January, and their only white-ball matches before the Champions Trophy come in a short tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in February.

After the PCB began looking for a coach, they initially considered the option of either elevating Azhar Mahmood or appointing Saqlain Mushtaq, who served as coach from 2021–22. However, none of them seemed to garner sufficient support from the PCB’s advisory board, leading to Aaqib being offered the position. It is understood that he will be asked to take up the role until the end of the Champions Trophy, after which the PCB will reassess.

Gillespie’s time – should it come to an end as expected – has been eventful. It began in disgrace as Pakistan slumped to a 2-0 home defeat against Bangladesh, but things turned around with a 2-1 come-from-behind triumph against England – Pakistan’s first home series win in nearly four years. With Kirsten stepping down soon after, he was appointed interim white-ball coach for the Australia tour and oversaw Pakistan’s first series triumph in the country for 22 years, overturning another opening-match defeat by romping to two crushing ODI series victories . The T20I series that followed was curtailed by rain, but Australia finished it with a game to spare.

A decision to part ways with Gillespie would also cap a remarkable year in Pakistan’s hunt for the coaching staff. In November last year, Mickey Arthur, then the team director, was told by the then PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf that he would not be going with the team for the Test series in Australia – Mohammad Hafeez played that role instead. Arthur and Grant Bradburn, then head coach, left soon after. Mohsin Naqvi took over the PCB chair weeks later, and began the hunt for what he called “the best possible coaches”, ultimately appointing Gillespie and Kirsten.

At the time, he said that “their excellent track records preceded them” and that they would be given independence to work with their respective sides. Six months later, Kirsten had departed without coaching Pakistan in a single ODI – the format in which he won the 2011 World Cup with India. It looks like Gillespie is ready to follow him out the door immediately.

For Aaqib, meanwhile, the speed of his ascent has been supersonic. Until a few weeks ago, he was the Lahore Qalandars’ long-serving coach and director of cricket operations, where he had a mixed record; he led the team to back-to-back PSL titles but also saw several bottom-placed finishes, including earlier this season.

When he was appointed as a member of the selection committee, he was regarded by the PCB top brass as the mastermind behind the implementation of spin-friendly wickets against England to turn that series around. He left his role with the Qalandars to focus on the PCB, where he was initially seen as the favorite to be appointed director of the National Cricket Academy.

He served a stint as Sri Lanka’s bowling coach earlier this year, but now begins his highest-profile challenge. Pakistan have a choc-a-bloc cricket season until the Champions Trophy. Six white-ball internationals against Zimbabwe will be followed by as many in South Africa, with two Tests to follow. Pakistan then play two Tests against the West Indies at home and a tri-series with South Africa and New Zealand before the Champions Trophy, which is due to begin on February 19.