‘What a joke!’: Jason Gillespie blasts ‘disrespectful’ Pakistan replacement following disastrous Champions Trophy

Jason Gillespie has labelled his successor as Pakistan’s coach “a clown,” in reaction to comments suggesting that turmoil within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) caused the team’s dismal group stage elimination from the home Champions Trophy.

Pakistan suffered defeats to both New Zealand and India, with their final match against Bangladesh ending in a washout, marking a disappointing outing at the ICC tournament, which took place in the country for the first time in 30 years.

In the wake of these losses, a graphic surfaced on social media attributing quotes to Gillespie’s successor, Aaqib Javed, who attributed the team’s poor performance to numerous changes in coaching staff.

“We have changed 16 coaches and 26 selectors in the past 2.5 years. If this happens to any team worldwide, their performance will reflect that as well,” read the post.

In a post on Threads, Gillespie accused Aaqib of exacerbating the situation by “undermining” his role as the head coach for red-ball cricket, as well as that of South African legend Gary Kirsten for white-ball formats.

“This is quite amusing. Aaqib was evidently trying to undermine Gary and I behind the scenes, lobbying to take on the coaching role for all formats. He is a clown,” Gillespie stated.

After resigning from his position as Pakistan’s Test coach in December, Gillespie later expressed that the role “wasn’t what (he) had signed up for.” Kirsten had departed months earlier for similar reasons.

After the washout against Bangladesh, Aaqib called for the PCB to ensure consistency and patience to improve team performance.

“If you want to advance Pakistan cricket, you must maintain continuity in policies across the board, from the PCB chairman to the players,” he explained.

“Since last year, observe how many changes there have been in captains, coaches, selectors, and board chairmen. This is hardly an ideal scenario for any team, and it invariably impacts performance.

“In previous encounters, we have consistently beaten India by taking wickets and maintaining pressure. This team had the potential to defeat India, but the match’s atmosphere weighed heavily on them.

“Competing against India is always challenging due to the immense pressure involved, especially for newcomers.

“While I understand the pain and disappointment stemming from our failures, it’s crucial not to evaluate a player or team based on just one or two series. Consistency and patience are essential.”

India and New Zealand are set to face off in the final in Dubai this Sunday night.