LAHORE: Former Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has strongly criticised the current interim coach of the national team, Aqib Javed, calling him a “clown”.
Gillespie’s statement came a day after Aqib Javed’s press conference, in which he blamed the poor performance of the national team on repeated changes in coaching and management.
Pakistan was among the initial teams to be knocked out of the Champions Trophy 2025, after which the team faced severe criticism.
Gillespie rejected Aqib Javed’s claims in his Instagram story, alleging that he had continuously campaigned against former coach Gary Kirsten and him behind the scenes.
It may be recalled that both Gillespie and Kirsten had left their positions within a year due to differences with PCB officials in coaching. After Kirsten’s departure, Gillespie was appointed as the interim coach of the white-ball team while he also took charge of the red-ball team. However, his tenure was short-lived and he resigned before the Test series against South Africa.
Aqib Javed expressed concern at the ongoing instability in Pakistani cricket in a press conference on March 4. He said that the lack of consistency was a major obstacle to the team’s progress. He also lamented that players were reluctant to participate in four-day domestic matches, which are essential for improving their skills.
These problems became more apparent after Pakistan’s poor performance in the Champions Trophy. Defending champions Pakistan suffered defeats against New Zealand and India, which led to their early exit from the event. Their final group match against Bangladesh was washed out due to rain, which added to the team’s difficulties.
Aqib Javed said in his press conference, ‘We have changed about 16 coaches and 26 selectors in the last two years. If you apply this formula to any team, it will also fall into the same situation. Unless you bring consistency from top to bottom, your team will not progress.’
Jason Gillespie reacted strongly to Aqib Javed’s statement and posted a story on Instagram, in which he severely criticized Aqib Javed.
Gillespie wrote in his Instagram story, ‘This is so funny. Aqib was conspiring against me and was campaigning to become a coach in every format. He is a clown.’
