Former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie has taken aim at the Pakistan Cricket Board after a dramatic mid-series shake-up left the team in turmoil during their Test series against England. Pakistan’s decision to send home seven players and remove key members of the coaching staff came after crushing defeats in the first two Tests, and Gillespie says the chaos has exposed a deeper problem.
Pakistan’s collapse sparks sweeping changes
Pakistan were already on the ropes after losing the opening Test by an innings and 103 runs and then falling to a 194-run defeat in the second match. The numbers told a harsh story: they failed to pass 200 in any of their four innings, a sign of just how badly the batting unit struggled under pressure.
In response, the board overhauled the setup midway through the series, sending home seven players, including former captain Salman Ali Agha, while also parting company with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. For Gillespie, who coached Pakistan from April to December 2024, the biggest issue was not just the results, but the message the changes sent.
“How does that work?” Gillespie asks
“I feel for the players – this is these guys’ livelihoods,” Gillespie told The Australian. “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 being out of the team for the second test and on the plane home before the third test. How does that work?”
His criticism was not limited to selection calls. Gillespie argued that stability off the field is essential if Pakistan want consistency on it. “If you want consistency on the field, there needs to be consistency off the field. That goes to board level, selection and coaching level,” he said.
The former Australia fast bowler’s remarks cut to the heart of a long-running issue in Pakistan cricket: frequent changes, short-term thinking and the pressure that comes with constant reshuffling. Pakistan have now had six Test coaches in the past three years, a statistic that highlights the lack of continuity around the team.
Selection confusion under the spotlight
Gillespie also criticised the way some players learned of their axed status, saying they heard the news through family, friends and media reports rather than directly from the board. “The players who were sacked heard it through family and friends and the media,” he said. “How disrespectful is that?”
The comments underline a wider concern about communication and trust inside the Pakistan setup. When decisions arrive suddenly and without clear explanation, the fallout can spread quickly across a dressing room already under strain.
Aqib Javed, Pakistan’s Director of High-Performance, recently blamed former white-ball coach Gary Kirsten and Gillespie for the current situation, something Gillespie strongly rejected. He pointed out that Javed has been chairman of selectors for the past two years and argued that responsibility should not be shifted to coaches who are no longer in charge.
“Somehow he claims it is our fault. Make sense out of that. I think Javed needs to look at himself in the mirror,” Gillespie said.
Results, pressure and the road ahead
Pakistan’s recent Test record adds weight to Gillespie’s frustration. Since August 2024, they have won just one of their last eight Test series, although that success included a 2-1 victory over England under Gillespie’s own tenure. Even so, the overall pattern has been one of instability and repeated resets.
Despite his sharp criticism, Gillespie still spoke warmly about Pakistan’s talent pool. “The talent there is as good as anywhere in the world,” he said. “These players just need support off the field.” That assessment reflects a familiar Pakistan narrative: the talent is rarely questioned, but the structure around it often is.
England now head into the third and final Test with Pakistan already trailing 2-0 in the series. The match runs from September 9 to 13, and it will be watched closely not only for the cricket, but for signs of how Pakistan responds after one of the most disruptive weeks of their recent Test history.
What this means for Pakistan cricket
The shake-up has intensified scrutiny on the PCB’s decision-making and raised broader questions about whether constant turnover can ever produce long-term improvement. Gillespie’s remarks have turned the spotlight away from the scoreboard and toward the systems behind it.
For Pakistan, the final Test is now about more than salvaging pride. It is about proving that the team can still compete amid the noise, and whether the people running the sport can find a steadier path forward.
