Former Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie blasted chairman of selectors Aaqib Javed, telling him to look in the mirror after the Pakistan Cricket Board axed seven players and two coaches following consecutive Test defeats against England.
Mass Sackings and Sudden Squad Overhaul
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) delivered a stunning blow to its Test setup following a disastrous start to the England series. The tourists suffered an innings and 103-run defeat in the series opener at Headingley before going down by 194 runs at Lord’s. In response, leadership wielded the axe, removing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and pace-bowling chief Umar Gul.
Earlier this week, the PCB gave Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Umar Gul marching orders, alongside Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad. The batters of the Pakistan cricket team, including their skipper Babar Azam and the rest of the batting unit, performed extremely poorly against the England National Cricket Team’s pace attack. In four innings, two in the Leeds Test and the two in the following match at Lord’s, the Men in Green failed to secure at least 200 runs on the scoreboard in an innings.
In a shock move, Pakistan replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and pace-bowling chief Umar Gul, and sent seven players home from England, in a dramatic response to successive Test thrashings. Seven replacement players were named in the squad, and the cricket board has named five uncapped players and two players with prior experience in playing for the national side as the replacements. The reins of the Test team were given to white-ball coach Mike Hesson.
The sudden demotions triggered harsh criticism from former players and coaches worldwide, including former captains Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, alongside former coach Mickey Arthur, who called it an absolutely ridiculous situation. Nasser Hussain also lashed out at the PCB for making the situation of Pakistan worse, stating that what they did has made them a laughingstock.
Jason Gillespie Slams Aaqib Javed’s Selection Strategy
Speaking to The Australian newspaper and Code Sports, Gillespie defended the ousted athletes and directed his anger squarely at the PCB’s director of high performance and chairman of selectors, Aaqib Javed. Gillespie pointed to the erratic treatment of players, highlighting Salman Ali Agha’s precipitous fall from captaining the side in the first Test to being out of the team for the second Test and on the plane home before the third Test.
“I feel for the players, this is these guys livelihoods. From the outside, it looks like they are playing with fear. Salman Ali Agha goes from captaining the team in the first Test against England to being out of the team for the second Test and on the plane home before the third Test. How does that work?” Gillespie told Code Sports and The Australian.
Gillespie identified Javed as the main reason behind Pakistan cricket’s problems, saying there is no selection strategy and that plans are changed at the drop of a hat.
It's pretty clear they don't have a selection strategy at all, particularly under Aaqib Javed. They change their mind like they change their pants — daily,
he said.
Gillespie also dismissed Javed’s attempts to shift blame onto past coaching staff. Javed had publicly alleged that Gillespie and former Pakistan white-ball coach Gary Kirsten failed to communicate or listen to him, and that there was no communication with them.
Aaqib Javed came out recently and blamed Gary Kirsten and myself for everything that is going on. Aaqib has been chairman of selectors for the past two years. We haven't even been there. Somehow he claims it is our fault. Make sense out of that. I think Javed needs to look at himself in the mirror, Gillespie stated
Furthermore, Gillespie revealed a severe breakdown in internal communication, stating that there is definitely no communication between Aaqib Javed, who is meant to be chairman of selectors, and the players. He noted that the players who were sacked heard it through family and friends and the media that they had been sacked, asking how disrespectful that is.
Public Backlash and the Road to Edgbaston
The turmoil deepened when Javed defended the board’s aggressive moves during an appearance on Geo TV, claiming that because of the team’s drastic downfall, everyone is laughing at them and action had to be taken.
When management fails to make tough calls, action has to be taken. We have already lost the series, and the world is laughing at us,
Aaqib Javed said on Geo TV.
Those comments quickly backfired outside the boardroom. Former Australia National Cricket Team opener Usman Khawaja trolled the PCB’s director of high performance, commenting that Javed’s comments have become a laughing matter more than the Pakistan National Cricket Team’s performance in England.
With the third and final Test starting at Edgbaston on September 9, the restructured squad faces immense pressure to salvage pride under new interim leadership while managing the fallout from a deeply fractured selection panel.
