The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and chairman of selectors Aaqib Javed continue to face the ire of former players after taking the decision to send seven players and two coaches back home from England following the team's abysmal performance in the opening two Tests against the Three Lions. Earlier this week, the PCB gave Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul marching orders. Seven replacement players were named in the squad, and the reins of the Test team were given to white-ball coach Mike Hesson.
Jason Gillespie lashes out at Aaqib Javed (AFP)
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On Friday, former Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie hit out at Javed, who is also the director of high performance, telling him to “look in the mirror” and stop playing around with the team.
“I feel for the players, this is these guys livelihoods. From the outside, it looks like they are playing with fear. Salman Ali Agha goes from captaining the team in the first Test against England to being out of the team for the second Test and on the plane home before the third Test. How does that work?” Gillespie told Code Sports.
Deep Dive
What were the reasons behind the PCB's decision to send players and coaches back home from England?
The PCB sent players and coaches back home due to the team's poor performance in the first two Tests against England, culminating in heavy defeats, prompting a shakeup in the squad.
Why did Jason Gillespie criticize Aaqib Javed's management of the Pakistan cricket team?
Jason Gillespie criticized Aaqib Javed for lacking a clear selection strategy and for making changes to the team without proper communication, which he believes puts players under unnecessary pressure.
How does the PCB's handling of player dismissals reflect on their management approach?
The PCB's handling of player dismissals, where players only learned of their sacking through family and media, indicates a lack of transparency and communication in their management of the team.
Gillespie identified Javed as the main reason behind Pakistan cricket's problems, saying there is no selection strategy and that plans are changed at the drop of a hat.
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Gillespie identified Javed as the main reason behind Pakistan cricket's problems, saying there is no selection strategy and that plans are changed at the drop of a hat.
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"It's pretty clear they don't have a selection strategy at all, particularly under Aaqib Javed. They change their mind like they change their pants -- daily," he said.
‘Make sense of that’
The former Pakistan pacer Javed has been vocal about Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, alleging that there was no communication with them, and the duo didn't listen to him. However, this claim has been rejected by Gillespie time and again, and now he has said that Javed needs to stop venting his frustration at the two, as they are no longer involved with Pakistan.
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“Aaqib Javed came out recently and blamed Gary Kirsten and myself for everything that is going on. Aaqib has been the chairman of selectors for the past two years. We haven't even been there. Somehow, he claims it is our fault. Make sense out of that. I think Javed needs to look at himself in the mirror,” said Gillespie.
"There is definitely no communication between Aaqib Javed, who is meant to be chairman of selectors, and the players, The players who were sacked heard it through family and friends and the media that they had been sacked,” he added.
Speaking of Pakistan, the side suffered an innings and 103-run loss in the series opener at Headingley before losing by 194 runs at Lord's.
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The third and final Test starts at Edgbaston on September 9.
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.
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Home/Cricket/Jason Gillespie tells Aaqib Javed to ‘look in the mirror’ after PCB's shocker: ‘Sacked players heard it through family'
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