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The Pakistan Cricket Board could announce their decision to remove Jason Gillespie as Pakistan’s Head Coach on Monday with Aaqib Javed set to take over till the end of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Jason Gillespie will be removed with Aaqib Javed replacing him as Pakistan’s all-format Head Coach. (Image: AFP, X)
Major changes are expected to take place with Pakistan’s management as Jason Gillespie is set to be removed as the senior men’s team’s Head Coach. It is reported that Aaqib Javed will take over the role across all three formats.
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could announce this decision as early as Monday. This means that the side’s final T20I against Australia will be Gillespie’s last assignment as coach.
The report suggested that Javed was not the PCB’s first choice after they had initially planned to give Gillespie responsibility as the Head Coach across all three formats till the Champions Trophy 2025. It is also suggested that there was no change in the former Australian pacer’s coaching contract, despite being expected to take over all formats. Gillespie turned down the offer which resulted in the PCB looking at other candidates to take over as an all-format coach.
The report also claims that a PCB official cited one of the reasons for replacing Gillespie as the coach not spending enough time in the country, the same was used in a private discussion between officials for the resignation of Gary Kirsten, Pakistan’s previous white-ball coach.
As the PCB began their hunt, they had considered the likes of Azhar Mahmood or Saqlain Mushtaq for the role but neither garnered support within the advisory circle resulting in Javed being handed the job. The arrangement is such that he would be the Head Coach until the end of the Champions Trophy.
Gillespie’s tenure as Pakistan’s coach has been a topsy-turvy ride. He began with an embarrassing whitewash defeat on home soil against Bangladesh in a two-match Test series. But they followed it up with a big change in approach to get the series victory over England. Following his interim-appointment as the white-ball coach, Pakistan beat Australia in an ODI series Down Under after 22 years followed by a rain-curtailed T20I series in which Pakistan lost.
Javed on the other hand will be facing his biggest challenge yet. He has had an impressive rise through the ranks where he was the long-term coach and director of the Lahore Qalandars following and then appointed a member of the selection committee where he is viewed as the mastermind behind opting to go for spin-friendly wickets against England. Following his stint with the Qalandars he shifted his focus to the National Cricket Academy where he worked with young talents.
