Jason Gillespie’s short tenure as Pakistan’s Test coach had begun with the promise of a long-term rebuild, but it ended amid constant administrative changes, shrinking authority and growing friction within the Pakistan Cricket Board. Nearly two years after his departure, the former Australian pacer has now delivered one of his strongest assessments yet of what went wrong, accusing Aaqib Javed of undermining him and revealing that the PCB still owes him thousands of dollars.
Gillespie was appointed Pakistan’s red-ball head coach in 2024, around the same time Gary Kirsten took charge of the white-ball sides. However, both coaches eventually left their roles as the PCB repeatedly reshaped its selection structure and coaching set-up. Gillespie has now claimed that the turning point in his own stint came when Aaqib was brought into a position of greater influence in the selection process.
“The appointment of Javed fundamentally altered the landscape,” Gillespie told The Telegraph. “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 everything.”
Deep Dive
According to Gillespie, his own authority over
According to Gillespie, his own authority over the Test team was steadily stripped away. He said he had initially been responsible for managing the side, working closely with the players and staff and contributing to selection decisions, only to eventually find himself excluded from virtually all of those areas.
Gillespie also revealed that his financial settlement with the PCB remains unresolved, claiming he is still owed a significant amount following the end of his stint.
“The PCB still owes me thousands of dollars, but I was never going to be a yes-man,” Gillespie said. “I wasn’t going to compromise on my principles — I never have throughout my career, and I certainly wasn’t going to change.”
He suggested that remaining silent may have allowed
He suggested that remaining silent may have allowed him to continue collecting his salary for longer, but said he was unwilling to operate in that manner. “I could have stayed quiet, agreed to everything, and taken home my salary, but that’s not me. Part of me knew I was probably going to be sacked in a couple of months anyway.”
Gillespie reserved his strongest criticism for Aaqib, accusing him of working against him behind the scenes and warning that he could consider legal action if the former Pakistan pacer continued making negative comments about him.
“I knewAaqib was sniping around behind the scenes,” Gillespie said. “That’s just who he is and the way he works. People in Pakistan cricket told me that Aaqib was sniping at me behind my back. I’m sick of him talking negatively about me. If he continues to do it, then I’ll start looking at taking legal action about that.”
Gillespie claimed the problems were apparent
Gillespie claimed the problems were apparent from his earliest interactions with Aaqib, describing an environment in which collaboration became increasingly difficult. “I was totally disrespected and undermined, and I direct that towards Aaqib Javed. At our first meeting, he came in with bravado, bluff, and bluster, wanting to show he was the man in charge. He said: ‘This is what we need to do.’ I listened and said OK. But this kept happening, and I pushed back on a couple of his comments. I just felt from that moment on that it wasn’t going to work because he’d already decided what he was going to do. There was going to be no collaboration whatsoever.”
Gillespie further claimed Aaqib’s relationship with thePCB hierarchy gave him enormous influence within the system. “Aaqib had the support of the chairman and the board, and that’s why he felt he was untouchable — as a coach, you feel compromised,” he said.
He also pushed back against criticism directed at himself and Kirsten over Pakistan’s continued struggles, arguing that both former coaches had been away from the set-up for a considerable period. “He’s had a crack at Gary Kirsten and I, blaming us for where Pakistan cricket is where it is.Gary and I haven’t even been there for two years,” Gillespie said.
The Australian was equally critical of the broader
The Australian was equally critical of the broader decision-making structure within Pakistan cricket, arguing that coaches need genuine authority and time if the national team is to be rebuilt. “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. You get chairmen and people at the board sitting at desks picking the captain; it’s nonsense,” Gillespie added. “Get the right coach in, allow him time to let the dust settle, and then allow him to pick the captain and go from there to rebuild Pakistan cricket and take it forward, because at the moment it’s going nowhere.”
aaqib javedjason gillespiepcbpakistan cricket
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