Former Pakistan coach and ex-team director Mickey Arthur has strongly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He believes that PCB has undervalued Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie as coaches. According to Arthur, internal conflicts are holding back Pakistan cricket’s progress.
Since Pakistan’s early exit from the Champions Trophy group stage at home, everyone from players to interim head coach Aaqib Javed and the selectors has faced heavy criticism.
After losing the first two matches and crashing out of the tournament, Aaqib said, “In the last two and a half years, we have changed 16 coaches and 26 selectors. If any team in the world went through this, their performance would be the same.”
Gillespie later accused Aaqib of working behind the scenes to remove him and Kirsten from their coaching roles. The former Australian pacer even directly called Aaqib a “clown.”
Arthur, who served as Pakistan’s head coach from 2016 to 2019, stood by Gillespie during an interview with talkSPORT.
“Honestly, I really liked that statement. Jason Gillespie is an exceptional coach, a fantastic person. Pakistan cricket keeps shooting itself in the foot. It is its own worst enemy. They have great players, resources, and a lot of young talent. They have immense potential. Yet, everything is still so chaotic. It’s truly frustrating. When they signed Gillespie and Kirsten, I thought they were on the right track. They had some really good players because, at the end of the day, it’s the players who win and lose games.”
In April last year, PCB appointed Gillespie as the Test team’s head coach on a two-year contract. However, due to the team’s inconsistent performances and internal challenges, he didn’t even last eight months. The former pacer stepped down last December before the home Test series against South Africa.
Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball coach at the same time as Gillespie. However, the former South African batsman and 2011 World Cup-winning coach with India resigned even earlier, in October, amid reported tensions with the team management and PCB.
Following their departures, PCB appointed former pacer Aaqib Javed as the interim head coach. Over the past 18 months, Pakistan has also undergone multiple captaincy changes.
Given the instability, Arthur did not hesitate to label Pakistan cricket as a “jungle.”
“They had a few really good coaches who could have taken them forward. But in Pakistan, things work in a way where they simply undervalue people. It’s a jungle. I feel really bad for Gary and Jason. I have no doubt that they were undervalued, and this has ultimately hurt the players and, in the end, Pakistan cricket.”
