Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) musical chairs continue. They’ll make yet another change in their coaching setup. Aaqib Javed, who recently became one of the Pakistan cricket team’s national selectors, will now be appointed their white-ball head coach starting the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.
Aaqib Javed replaces Gary Kirsten as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach
Jason Gillespie was holding the post until the PCB could find a replacement for Gary Kirsten, who quit after just six months, citing a change in the terms and conditions of the job. Going forward, Gillespie would continue as Pakistan’s Test coach, while Javed is believed to be taking over as white-ball coach.
It’s uncertain whether Javed will be Pakistan’s interim white-ball coach for just the Zimbabwe ODIs and T20Is or will continue for long, perhaps until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
From what can be gathered, Javed played a pivotal role in the sidelining of captains and coaches. For those unaware, recently the PCB took away any selection power from their captains and head coaches. This was exactly the reason why Kirsten left after just six months. With no control over who’ll play in his team, he labeled his job as that of a ‘match-day analyst’. Red-ball head coach Gillespie isn’t that pleased with the change either, but for now, he’s biting the bullet.
Aaqib Javed’s role in Pakistan’s recent success
As soon as Javed joined the PCB as one of their five national selectors, Pakistan have done well, at least at home. They won a home Test series after three years and eight months because of Javed’s insistence on making spin-friendly pitches instead of flat roads. It is believed that Gillespie was the coach, but Javed was calling the shots.
The reports further suggest that Javed wants to no involvement of foreign coaches with the Pakistan cricket team; this means that Gillespie’s tenure could be short-lived as well. But as of now, nothing’s confirmed regarding PCB’s stance on foreign coaches.
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