Jason Gillespie Calls Aqib Javed a ‘Clown’ Amid Coaching Controversy

Former Australian fast bowler and Pakistan’s former coach, Jason Gillespie, has labeled current head coach Aqib Javed as a “clown” following Javed’s remarks about the Pakistani team’s poor performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy. In response to Javed’s statement, Gillespie suggested that Aqib Javed was trying to take his job as coach.

Javed’s comments were made during a press conference in Lahore, where he blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the team’s decline, citing the appointment of 16 coaches and 26 selectors over the past two and a half years. He claimed that this instability had negatively impacted Pakistan cricket.

Regarding the upcoming series against New Zealand, Pakistan will play 5 T20s and 2 One Day Internationals. As part of several significant changes, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been removed from the T20 and ODI formats, respectively, with Salman Ali Agha appointed as the new T20 captain and Shadab Khan as vice-captain.

In his comments, Javed also suggested that Pakistan’s cricket system doesn’t completely reject experienced players, but instead seeks to implement a new mentality and approach. However, his remarks about the team’s decline and the instability caused by frequent coaching changes sparked a sharp response from Gillespie.

Gillespie, who had been appointed as Pakistan’s Test coach with much fanfare, reacted strongly to Javed’s criticisms, calling him a “clown” on social media. He accused Javed of trying to oust both him and former white-ball coach Gary Kirsten from their positions as part of a strategy to take over all formats of the coaching role.

Gillespie further stated that Aqib Javed’s actions were aimed at undermining him and Kirsten in an attempt to secure the head coaching role for himself, despite the challenges that had arisen in their tenure.