Ex-Pakistan coach Gillespie tells Aaqib Javed to 'look in the mirror' over cricket team sackings

AFP -- Former Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie said on Friday chairman of selectors Aaqib Javed needs to “look at himself in the mirror” with the national team “playing with fear”.

In a shock move Pakistan this week replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and pace-bowling chief Umar Gul, and sent seven players home from England, in a dramatic response to successive Test thrashings.

Australia’s Gillespie, who led the side for eight months in 2024, including a 2-1 Test series win against England, said it was sad to see.

“I feel for the players, this is these guys’ livelihoods,” he told The Australian newspaper.*

“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 out of the team for the second Test and on the plane home before the third Test,” he said.

“How does that work?” he asked, laying the blame firmly at the door of Javed.

“It’s pretty clear they don’t have a selection strategy at all, particularly under Javed. They change their mind like they change their pants — daily,” he said.

“Javed came out recently and blamed (former white-ball coach) Gary Kirsten and myself for everything that is going on.

“Javed has been chairman of selectors for the past two years. We haven’t even been there,” he said.

“Somehow he claims it is our fault. Make sense out of that. I think Javed needs to look at himself in the mirror,” he added.

The tourists suffered an innings and 103-run loss in the series opener at Headingley before going down by 194 runs at Lord’s.

The third and final Test starts at Edgbaston on September 9.

“There is definitely no communication between Javed, who is meant to be chairman of selectors, and the players,” added Gillespie.

“The players who were sacked heard it through family and friends and the media they had been sacked.

“How disrespectful is that?”

Several other ex-Pakistan coaches and players have been left similarly bewildered, including former captains Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.

Ex-coach Mickey Arthur called it “an absolutely ridiculous situation”.

New Zealander Mike Hesson, who was already Pakistan’s white-ball chief, and Australian Ashley Noffke, have taken charge for the rest of the tour.