‘Pakistan Cricket: A Jungle of its Own Making’ - Mickey Arthur Enjoys Gillespie-Aaqib Drama Unfolding Publicly

As always, Pakistan cricket remains a hub of drama and entertainment. After the disappointing early exit of the team from the Champions Trophy, the blame game ensued with everyone, from the captain to the coach to the players, being put under the microscope. However, the most scathing comments came from former Australian pacer, Jason Gillespie, who took to his Instagram story to call his successor, Aaqib Javed, a 'clown'. Gillespie, who had a brief stint as the coach of the Pakistan Test team, accused Javed of undermining him during his time in charge. The controversy surrounding Pakistan cricket seems to never end, keeping fans on their toes with the never-ending twists and turns of the sport.

Gillespie, along with Gary Kirsten (coach of the white-ball team) were appointed by the PCB for their respective positions in April of 2024, but both shockingly left for reasons unknown. When Aaqib defended Pakistan's exit from the Champions Trophy without a win by saying, "We changed 16 coaches in the last two-and-a-half years and 26 selectors. If you do this to any team in the world, their performance would be the same," Gillespie responded, "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."

This isn't the first time a Pakistan coach has been mismanaged by the board and other external factors. Who knows it better than Mickey Arthur, who's was in charge for three years between 2016 and 2019. Summing up the circus that Pakistan cricket is, Arthur said he loves what Gillespie had to say, capping off all that is wrong with its cricket.

Also Read - 'Pakistan cricket is in ICU': Shahid Afridi goes no-holds-barred after Champions Trophy disaster, hammers PCB

"I love this quote to be brutally honest. Jason Gillespie is a wonderful coach, wonderful man. Pakistan cricket just continues to shoot itself in the foot. It is its worst enemy. There are so many good players; they’ve got the resources now; there's so much young talent. They have incredible skill. And yet it's still so chaotic. It's really disappointing to see. I thought when they signed Gillespie and Kirsten, they had gone down exactly the right route, and they had got some really good players. Because ultimately it’s the players that lose out," Arthur told talkSport.

Arthur explains all that's wrong with Pakistan cricket

Arthur, like many, felt PCB had nailed it right when Kirsten – a World Cup-winning coach himself – and Gillespie – a two-time World Cup winner with Australia – were added to the coaching set-up. But clearly, all hell broke loose. Mohammad Rizwan replaced Babar Azam as captain, Shadab Khan disappeared, the zip in Shaheen Afridi went missing, and Pakistan's performance tanked as a team. All of it, as Arthur, pointed out, stems from the multiple behind-the-scenes politics.

"They had got some really good coaches who could take them forward. But then that machine that works in Pakistan that just keeps undermining and agendas are driven in the media. It's a jungle out there and I feel desperately sorry for Gary and Jason. There's no doubt in my mind that they were undermined because it’s to the detriment of the players and ultimate to the detriment of Pakistan cricket," added Arthur.

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