‘They changed their minds like pants’: Former Pakistan coach rips out chief selector Aaqib Javed over England chaos

Aaqib Javed, Jason Gillespie Former Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie criticized Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Aaqib Javed following the team’s mid-series overhaul following Pakistan’s defeats in the first two Tests against England.Pakistan replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul while sending home seven players after losing the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord’s.Gillespie, who coached Pakistan for eight months in 2024 and led the team to a 2-1 Test series victory over England, said it was painful to watch the current situation unfold.“I feel for the players, this is a living for these guys,” Gillespie told The Australian.“From the outside it looks like they are playing with fear,” said the former Australian fast bowler.“Salman Ali Agha goes from captaining the team in the first Test against England to leaving the team for the second Test and on the plane home before the third Test.”“How does it work?”The former Australian fast bowler blamed Aaqib Javed for the lack of consistency in Pakistan’s selection decisions.“It’s pretty clear they have no selection strategy at all, especially under Aaqib Javed. They change their minds like they’re changing their pants – daily,” Gillespie said.He was also reacting to Javed’s recent comments in which the selector blamed Gillespie and former Pakistan white-ball coach Gary Kirsten for the team’s problems.“Aaqib Javed recently came forward and blamed (former Pakistan white-ball coach) Gary Kirsten and me for everything that was happening.“Aaqib was the chairman of selectors for the last two years. We weren’t even there. He’s somehow saying it’s our fault. Make sense of it. I think Javed needs to look in the mirror.”Gillespie also asked how the PCB informed the players about the changes in the team.“There is absolutely no communication between Aaqib Javed, who is supposed to be the chairman of selectors, and the players.“The players who were fired heard from family, friends and the media that they were fired. How disrespectful is that?”Reports earlier this week said several Pakistan players found out they had been dropped after friends and family sent them the PCB’s statement on social media, with no direct communication from the team management, captain or coach.Pakistan suffered an innings and a 103-run defeat in the first Test at Headingley before losing the second Test at Lord’s by 194 runs, giving England a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.After these defeats, PCB recalled wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, opener Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, spinner Ali Usman, pacer Khurram Shahzad, all-rounder Aamir Jamal and batsman Awais Zafar.Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were also replaced, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke taking charge of the team for the third Test in Birmingham, which starts on September 9.