Jason Gillespie calls Aaqib Javed a clown, accuses him of conspiracies

Former Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie has lashed out at interim head coach Aaqib Javed, calling him “a clown” and accusing him of playing a role in his removal as Pakistan’s coach.

Jason Gillespie’s remarks came in response to Aaqib Javed’s comments about Pakistan’s poor performance in the Champions Trophy 2025.

During a recent press conference, Interim head coach of the national team, Aaqib Javed, stated “No excuse, Pakistan team did not play well”.

Pakistan, the defending champions and hosts of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, were eliminated from the eight-team tournament after New Zealand beat Bangladesh by five wickets at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

After suffering two consecutive defeats, Pakistan’s hopes of advancing to the next stage had relied on the outcomes of the remaining Group A matches. Pakistan’s slim chances had hinged on Bangladesh beating New Zealand, followed by its own convincing win over Bangladesh on February 27.

However, New Zealand’s triumph on Monday sealed the fate of both Pakistan and Bangladesh, eliminating them from the Champions Trophy 2025.

In response to the team’s struggles, Aaqib Javed shifted the blame to frequent changes in coaching staff and selectors in recent years.

He said, “We changed 16 coaches in the last 2.5 years and 26 selectors. If you do this to any team around the world, their performance will be like this too.”

However, Gillespie claims that Javed was responsible for his own and Gary Kirsten’s removal as coaches. Gillespie shared Javed’s statement on Instagram, adding his own commentary:

“This is hilarious. Aaqib was clearly undermining Gary and I behind the scenes, campaigning to be the coach in all formats. He is a clown” 🤡