Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie has criticized Director of High-Performance for PCB Aaqib Javed over alleged false claims about his coaching tenure. Gillespie disputed Aaqib's recent remarks during the podcast and called him a "muppet" while defending the decisions he made as Pakistan's coach.
The fallout in the Pakistan Cricket Board continues more than a year after Jason Gillespie and former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten stepped down. Gillespie resigned as Pakistan's red-ball coach in December 2024. He ended his eight-month stint after internal disagreements and communication issues.
Pakistan Won, and That's When Things Started… - Aaqib Javed Blames Jason Gillespie
Speaking recently on the Public Sports and Public News YouTube channel, Aaqib Javed stated that Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten lacked a strategic vision. Javed stated that Gillespie and Kirsten deliberately made the selectors' job impossible by consistently refusing to listen to anyone during meetings.
"Frankly speaking, they used to overrule every selector. They weren't willing to listen to anyone," he said.
"I went to Multan and spoke with Jason and Shan. I asked them, What was your plan after the first Test against England? They had no plan. I said, This isn't going to work," Javed said.
"We need to change both the pitch and the team. We brought in the spinners; Pakistan won, and that's when things started to go wrong. He then said, I don't agree with that," he added.
Jason Gillespie Calls Aaqib Javed a 'Muppet' Over Pitch Preparation Claims
Speaking on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel with co-host Stephen Fleming, Gillespie rejected the allegations. He said that Aaqib Javed never asked about the team's strategy but arrived with clear instructions to play on used pitches that had been deliberately sprinkled with sand.
"I asked him, 'What was your plan after the first Test? We lost the first Test against England. No you didn't. You waited in and you said this is what we're doing," he said.
"We're changing the team. We are playing on the same surface that we just played a five-day Test on in four days' time. So it was going to be a day 10 or 11 surface. And I asked them, 'Why are we doing that?' We've got other surfaces prepared because you've got to play on the best surface available."
Jason Gillespie fired back at Aaqib Javed, calling him a "muppet" & his comments "nonsense."
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) July 18, 2026
- Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming were laughing throughout. 😐 pic.twitter.com/T3QZJFiXNm
I Didn't Agree With the Suggestion to Sprinkle... - Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie stated that he and Gary Kirsten faced the difficult environment while working with the Pakistan Cricket Board. He said that using industrial dryers and sprinkling sand on a worn-out pitch would rarely be accepted in international cricket.
"What I had an issue with in the pitch was I didn't agree with the suggestion to sprinkle it with sand as well. Not only did we have a 10 or 11 day pitch, just sprinkle it with sand. We were instructed before Aaqib and the new selectors came in that you could only pick players that passed the fitness testing criteria," Gillespie stated.
"Gary Kirsten was relieved of his duties as a selector after a Test match loss that we had. He last coached the white ball team three months ago, so he got sacked for doing nothing for three months," he added.
