‘I was disrespected and undermined’: Former Pakistan coach drops bombshell, names ‘untouchable’ figure for England tour mess

Aaqib Javed, Jason Gillespie Former Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has doubled down on his criticism of Pakistan chief selector Aaqib Javed, saying the chairman of the selection committee has taken control of Pakistan cricket and changed the direction the team was supposed to take.Gillespie, who was appointed as Pakistan’s head coach in April 2024 and resigned in December of that year, said he was brought in with a clear vision of rebuilding Pakistan’s fast-bowling culture. According to him, this plan changed after Javed became the chief selector.“When I came on board, they wanted to bring back fast bowling,” Gillespie said in an interview with Britain’s The Telegraph. “This is what was sold to me when I took over. They wanted to prepare surfaces that would reflect and carry and support fast bowling because they felt fast bowling was dying. I was on board and I thought, ‘This is going to be really cool’.”“The appointment of Javed fundamentally changed the landscape,” he adds. “From that moment on, my relationship with Pakistan cricket changed completely. Aaqib came in and took over. He seemed to be in charge of everything.”Gillespie’s comments come after Pakistan made drastic changes during their ongoing tour of England. After defeats in the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord’s, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sent home seven players, sacked Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, and appointed Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke for the third and final Test in Birmingham from 9 September.There were also reports that the PCB had confiscated the phones of some players in England as part of an investigation into the team’s “discipline and conduct” during the tour.Senior players Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha were among the players sent back to Pakistan before Hesson joined the team. Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and spinner Ali Usman, who featured in both Tests, were also dropped, while all-rounder Aamir Jamal and batsman Mohammad Awais returned home without playing a match.Meanwhile, Gillespie said working under Javed made him feel pushed aside and disrespected.“I was completely disrespected and I’m going to undermine that and direct it at Aaqib Javed. He came to our first meeting with bravado and bluff and bluster, wanting to show that he was the man in charge. He said, ‘This is what we have to do.’ I listened and said OK. But it kept happening and I brushed off some of his comments. I just felt from that moment on that it wasn’t going to work because he had already decided what he was going to do. There was no cooperation,” added Gillespie.The former Australian fast bowler said Javed had the support of the PCB chairman and the board, which made him feel untouchable.“Aaqib had the support of the chairman and the board, so he felt untouchable,” says Gillespie. “As a coach, you feel compromised. He hasn’t been a collaborative chairman of selectors. He doesn’t take other people’s ideas, thoughts or opinions. He might think he does, but he doesn’t. It was his way or the highway.”Gillespie also claimed the PCB still owes him money from his time as coach, but said he was unwilling to change his policies to stay in the job.“PCB still owes me thousands of dollars, but I never became a supporter,” he says. “I didn’t want to compromise my principles, I’ve never done that in my career and I certainly don’t intend to change. I could have kept quiet, agreed to everything and taken home my pay, but that’s not me and part of me knew I’d probably be fired in a few months anyway.”Gillespie said Pakistan cricket remains trapped in a harmful cycle and laid the blame at Javed’s feet.“It’s heartbreaking for me to see what’s happening now, it’s a mess,” Gillespie was quoted as saying by the Telegraph. “I know the bottom line. It is Aaqib Javed. He is the problem and as long as he is there then Pakistan cricket will continue to decline,” said the former Pakistan coach.

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