Former Pakistan cricket coach Jason Gillespie calls out Aaqib Javed over recent comments

Pakistan cricket is never short of drama, and this time it is former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie who is at the centre of it. The 51-year-old began coaching the side in 2024 and saw them beat England at home by 2-1. He also coached the side to a rare ODI series win away against Australia.

Gillespie then tendered his resignation towards the end of 2024 after Tim Nielsen’s firing. Former Indian cricket coach Gary Kirsten, who was then the white-ball coach, also quit the team, marking a tumultuous phase. Ex-Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed, who is currently the high-performance director with PCB, came up with bold statements.

The former pacer said that neither Jason nor Gary were open to opinions during the selection meetings. He also claimed that both the overseas coaches were a challenge for the Pakistani selectors. Such comments didn’t sit well with the Aussie legend, who hit back at Aaqib over his views.

Speaking on the Fast Bowling Cartel podcast show, the former right-arm seamer said, “I had asked Aaqib Javed what the plans were after losing the first Test against England. The team was going to be changed, and the next match was going to be played on the same track that we had used. It was a day ten or eleven wicket, and I questioned why we were doing this? There were other surfaces ready, and we must play on the best surface available.”

Ex-coach Gillespie calls Javed ‘Muppet’

Airing his grievances on the same podcast, the former South Australian star said, “We were told that only players who passed the fitness test will be picked. There were suggestions to sprinkle the pitch with sand on a wicket that was already old.” Gillespie then finished his diatribe by calling the former pacer a ‘Muppet’.

Shan Masood’s side eventually came back and won the series 2-1 after a string of poor performances in the Test format. The left-handed batter was recently sacked as the captain of the team, with Babar Azam taking over as the new skipper. Pakistan are set to play West Indies and England in successive Test series.