Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has criticized PCB High-Performance Director Aaqib Javed over alleged false claims about his coaching tenure. Gillespie disputed Aaqib’s recent comments during the podcast and defended the decisions taken by him as Pakistan coach, calling him a “muppet”.
Differences continue within the Pakistan Cricket Board, 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 tenure after internal disagreements and communication issues.
Pakistan won, and that’s when things started… – Aaqib Javed blames Jason Gillespie
Speaking recently on Public Sports and Public News YouTube channel, Aaqib Javed said Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten lack strategic vision. Javed said that Gillespie and Kirsten deliberately made the selectors’ job impossible by refusing to listen to anyone during meetings.
He said, “To be honest, they rejected every selector. They were not ready to listen to anyone.”
Javed said, “I went to Multan and spoke to Jason and Shaan. I asked them, what were your plans after the first Test against England? They had no plans. I said, it won’t work.”
He said, “We need to change both the pitch and the team. We brought in spinners; Pakistan won and that’s when things started going wrong. He then said, I don’t agree with that.”
Jason Gillespie calls Aaqib Javed a ‘muppet’ over pitch preparation claims
Speaking with co-host Stephen Fleming on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel, 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, which were deliberately sprinkled with sand.
He said, “I asked him, ‘What was your plan after the first Test? We lost the first Test against England. No, you didn’t do that. You waited and you said this is what we are doing.’
“We’re changing teams. We’re playing on the same surface on which we played a five-day Test in four days’ time. So it was going to be a 10 or 11-day surface. And I asked them, ‘Why are we doing this?’ “We have prepared other surfaces because you have to play on the best surface available.”
Jason Gillespie hit back at Aaqib Javed, calling him a “muppet” and his comments as “nonsense”.
– Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming were laughing the whole time. pic.twitter.com/T3QZJFiXNm
– Sherry. (@CallMeSheri1_) July 18, 2026
I didn’t agree with the sprinkle suggestion… -Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie said that he and Gary Kirsten faced a difficult environment while working with the Pakistan Cricket Board. He said that using industrial dryers and sprinkling sand on a worn pitch would hardly be accepted in international cricket.
Gillespie said, “My problem with the pitch was that I didn’t even agree with the suggestion of sprinkling sand on it. Not only did we have 10 or 11 days of pitch, but we also had to sprinkle sand on it. Before Aaqib and the new selectors came in, we were instructed that you can only pick players who meet the fitness test criteria.”
He said, “Gary Kirsten was relieved of his duties as selector after the Test match defeat. He last coached the white-ball team three months ago, so he was sacked for doing nothing for three months.”
