Jason Gillespie has spoken about Aaqib Javed three times in two years. Each time the language has sharpened. Each time Pakistan cricket has slid further.
The latest came on September 4, 2026, after the Pakistan Cricket Board axed seven players and two coaches during an active Test tour of England. Gillespie, who served as Pakistan’s Test coach for seven months before resigning in December 2024, told The Australian that the man running selections needs to stop pointing fingers.
“Aaqib Javed came out recently and blamed Gary Kirsten and myself for everything. Aaqib has been chairman of selectors for the past two years. We haven’t even been there. I think Javed needs to look at himself in the mirror.”
Jason Gillespie, The Australian, September 4, 2026
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This followed a detailed interview with The Telegraph in which Gillespie laid out for the first time what happened inside his tenure. He was hired in April 2024 on a two-year contract to rebuild Pakistan’s Test cricket. The brief was clear: revive fast bowling, prepare pitches with bounce and carry.
That lasted until October 2024. Aaqib Javed was appointed chairman of selectors. From that point, Gillespie’s role collapsed.
“At our first meeting he came in with bravado, bluff, and bluster, wanting to show he was the man in charge.”
Jason Gillespie, The Telegraph
Gillespie went from managing the Test side, overseeing players and staff, and having a role in selection to having no role in anything. The experience left a mark beyond the professional.
“The whole experience just deflated me and put me off coaching. It affected me mentally, doubting myself and left me thinking whether I still wanted to be involved in the sport.”
Jason Gillespie, The Telegraph
The PCB still owes Gillespie thousands of dollars. He has made clear the money was never the point.
“I could have stayed quiet, agreed to everything and taken home my salary, but that’s not me and part of me knew I was probably going to be sacked in a couple of months anyway.”
Jason Gillespie, The Telegraph
The September 2026 trigger was not a single defeat. Pakistan lost the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs. They lost the second at Lord’s by 194 runs. They failed to reach 200 in any of four innings across both matches.
The PCB’s response was to remove head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul mid-tour. Seven players were sent home. Salman Ali Agha captained the side in the first Test. By the third Test at Edgbaston, he was on a plane back to Pakistan.
“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?”
Jason Gillespie, The Australian, September 4, 2026
Players learned of their removal through family and media, not from the board or the selection committee. The players sent home mid-tour joined a growing list of cricketers discarded without explanation. Gillespie called the selection approach what it is.
“They change their mind like they change their pants, daily.”
Jason Gillespie, The Australian, September 4, 2026
Jason Gillespie once again criticizes Aaqib Javed.
The appointment of Aaqib Javed fundamentally altered the landscape. From that moment, my relationship with Pakistan cricket completely changed. Aaqib came in and took over. It appeared to me that he was in charge of absolutely… pic.twitter.com/Nx4yQov3Fp
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) September 7, 2026
Former captain Shahid Afridi and ex-captain Shoaib Malik publicly expressed concern. Former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur called it “an absolutely ridiculous situation.”
The Pattern That Won’t Break
| Date | Event | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Gillespie hired as Test coach on two-year deal | Given mandate to rebuild fast bowling |
| October 2024 | Aaqib Javed appointed chairman of selectors | Gillespie’s authority removed |
| October 2024 | Gary Kirsten resigns as white-ball coach | Cited breakdown with board |
| November 2024 | Aaqib appointed interim white-ball coach | Controls all formats |
| December 2024 | Gillespie resigns | Aaqib takes over Tests too |
| March 2025 | Pakistan exit Champions Trophy in group stage | Gillespie calls Aaqib “a clown” |
| May 2025 | Aaqib appointed Director of High Performance | Given more power, not less |
| September 2026 | Pakistan lose first two Tests in England | 7 players and 2 coaches axed mid-tour |
Every row follows the same sequence. A coach is hired. Aaqib Javed’s authority expands. The coach is undermined or removed. Results decline. The board responds by giving Aaqib more control.
The coaches and selectors who pushed back on this system were removed. Those who complied stayed until results forced the next reset.
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Gillespie identified the core of it in The Telegraph interview.
“It’s heartbreaking for me to see what’s going on now; it’s a mess. I know the crux of it. It’s Aaqib Javed. He is the problem, and as long as he is there, Pakistan cricket will continue to go backwards.”
Jason Gillespie, The Telegraph
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Insider Read
Every foreign coach who takes a board-dominated job faces the same calculation. You can comply, collect your salary, and leave quietly when the contract ends. Or you can coach the way you were hired to coach and accept that the exit will not be on your terms.
Gillespie chose the second option. That choice cost him months of self-doubt and unpaid wages. But the calculation is only half the damage. The other half lands on the players.
When a team changes its captain, its coach, its bowling coach, and seven players during a three-match series, no one in that dressing room is building anything. There is no system to trust. There is no momentum between sessions. A batter who scored 30 in the first Test does not know if he will be in the squad for the second. A bowler who took three wickets does not know if the new coach wants the same lengths. Players stop executing plans and start playing for individual survival. That fear showed in Pakistan’s four innings in England. Not one total past 200. Not one partnership that suggested trust in a shared approach.
Consistency is not a slogan. It is the only way a coach’s methods reach the field. When neither the coach nor the players know who will be there next week, no method reaches anywhere.
Gillespie’s warning to Mike Hesson, the man now holding the interim Test coaching role for the remainder of the England tour, was direct.
“Trust your instincts and don’t be a yes man. I hope he just doesn’t get caught up in all this mess just because he’s happy to accept a pay cheque.”
Jason Gillespie, The Australian / Geo.tv
