Former Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection policy and Director of High Performance Aqib Javed following a series of controversial decisions after Pakistan’s poor performance in the ongoing Test series against England.
In an interview with the Australian Newspaper, Gillespie said it was clear that Pakistan lacked a proper plan for team selection, particularly under Aqib Javed’s supervision, and that frequent changes in selection decisions reflected this lack of direction.
Gillespie also strongly criticised Aqib Javed, saying that instead of pointing fingers at the coaches, those responsible should “look into their own pockets.” The former Australian fast bowler further claimed that Aqib Javed had recently held him and former Pakistan white-ball coach Gary Kirsten responsible for the team’s current situation. Gillespie argued that this was unfair because Aqib Javed had been chairman of the selection committee for the past two years, while neither he nor Kirsten had anything to do with the current selection decisions.
Gillespie said that, despite this, he was somehow being held responsible for the situation, which he described as making no sense. He also highlighted what he believes is a lack of communication between Aqib Javed and the players. According to Gillespie, some players who were recalled to the squad learned about their return through family members, friends, and the media rather than directly from the team management. He described this as a great insult to the players.
Aqib Javed has not yet responded to Gillespie’s latest criticism. However, a few days earlier, while speaking on a private TV channel, Javed said that both Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie had not been spending the required amount of time in Pakistan, which had raised concerns within the PCB. Javed said it was important for the national team coach to dedicate sufficient time to the team and fulfil his commitment to the country.
Meanwhile, Australian cricket commentator Jim Maxwell also reacted strongly to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s defence of the major changes made to Pakistan’s Test squad during the series against England. Speaking to journalists in London, Naqvi described the decisions made during the England series as necessary and dismissed his critics by saying that they had not achieved anything themselves.
Maxwell reacted strongly to Naqvi’s comments on social media. He shared Naqvi’s statement and described him as “arrogant and ignorant,” while criticising the PCB chairman in strong terms. Pakistan lost the first two matches of the three-Test series against England. In the first Test, England defeated Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs. In the second Test at Lord’s, England won by 194 runs to take an unassailable 2–0 lead in the series.