Srinagar: Former Australia cricketer and Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie has lashed out at Pakistan coach Aaqib Javed for scheming against him and Gary Kristen behind the scenes to make himself Pakistan coach.
Jason Gillespie was reacting to the recent statements of Aaqib Javed in which he had mentioned that too many changes in the management doesn’t sit well and affect the team performances.
“You want to take Pakistan cricket forward then you need to have consistency and continuity in policies in our cricket starting from the PCB Chairman to the players,” Aaqib Javed said in a media conference on Tuesday.
“Since last year, see how many captains, coaches, selectors and board Chairman have changed. This is never an ideal situation for the team and it does affect their performances.”
“I think a coach can do only as much as he can sitting outside but he can’t go and play. I think some of our players need to start thinking about their game and how to be consistent performers,” he said.
Taking note of Javed’s comments, Gillespie said the former Pakistan pacer “undermined” him and Gary Kirsten and “plotted” to become the coach himself.
“This is hilarious. Aaqib was clearly undermining Gary and I behind the scenes campaigning to be the coach in all formats. He is a clown,” Gillespie shared on Instagram.
Pertinently since the 2023 ODI World Cup, which marked the beginning of Pakistan’s decline, the team has already changed coaches three times. Mickey Arthur was replaced by Mohammad Hafeez, who was sacked before the T20 World Cup. Pakistan then brought in Gary Kirsten, the 2011 World Cup-winning coach, alongside former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie.
However, Kirsten’s tenure ended abruptly without him coaching a single ODI, as disagreements with the PCB over player selections led to his departure. Gillespie met the same fate, dismissed less than a year into his appointment as the Test team’s coach.