Jason Gillespie, Aaqib Javed and Mohsin Naqvi (Source: AFP)
The controversy surrounding Pakistan's coaching setup has resurfaced after former head coach Jason Gillespie strongly rejected comments made by Pakistan’s Director of High Performance and chief selector Aaqib Javed.
More than a year after Jason Gillespie stepped down from his role, the former Australian fast bowler has accused Aaqib Javed of making false claims about his time with the Pakistan team.
Gillespie also questioned the decision-making process inside the PCB and openly criticised Javed during a recent podcast, calling him a 'muppet.'
Did Aaqib Javed Accuse Jason Gillespie?
Speaking on the Public Sports and Public News YouTube channel, Aaqib Javed had claimed that both Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten regularly ignored the opinions of the selectors and made it difficult for the selection committee to perform its role.
According to Javed, the coaches did not agree with the selectors and refused to consider any suggestions.
"Frankly speaking, they used to overrule every selector. They weren’t willing to listen to anyone," Javed said.
He also recalled a discussion that allegedly took place after Pakistan lost the opening Test against England in Multan.
He claimed he asked Gillespie and captain Shan Masood about their strategy for the remainder of the series but was disappointed by their response.
"I went to Multan and spoke with Jason and Shan. I asked them, ‘What was your plan after the first Test against England?’ They had no plan. I said, ‘This isn’t going to work," Javed stated.
"We need to change both the pitch and the team. We brought in the spinners; Pakistan won, and that’s when things started to go wrong. He then said, ‘I don’t agree with that," Javed added.
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Gillespie Hits Back And Explains His Side Of The Story
Jason Gillespie completely rejected Aaqib Javed’s comments while speaking on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel alongside Stephen Fleming.
The former Australia pacer insisted that Javed never asked him about any long-term plan and instead arrived with fixed decisions already made.
"I asked him, ‘What was your plan after the first Test?’ No you didn’t. You walked in and said, ‘This is what we’re doing," Gillespie responded.
Gillespie revealed that his biggest concern was the decision to play on the same wicket that had already hosted the first Test just a few days earlier.
"We’re changing the team. We are playing on the same surface that we just played a five-day Test on in four days’ time. So it was going to be a day 10 or 11 surface. I asked them, ‘Why are we doing that?’ We’ve got other surfaces prepared because you’ve got to play on the best surface available," he explained.
The former Pakistan coach also dismissed the suggestion that he was unwilling to select more spinners. He said the coaching staff had been instructed to pick only players who had cleared the required fitness tests, leaving several spin options unavailable.
"We were instructed before Aaqib and the new selectors came in that you could only pick players that passed the fitness testing criteria," Gillespie said.
Watch The Video Here:
Jason Gillespie Calls Javed A 'Muppet'
Jason Gillespie strongest criticism came over the preparation of the pitch, claiming he opposed the idea of sprinkling sand on an already worn surface.
"What I had an issue with was the suggestion to sprinkle it with sand as well. Not only did we have a 10 or 11 day pitch, just sprinkle it with sand,” Gillespie said before calling Javed a “muppet.”
It is also important to mention that Gillespie also defended former white-ball coach Gary Kirsten.
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