Aaqib Javed appointed Pakistan interim white-ball coach; Gillespie to continue as red-ball coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the former cricketer Aaqib Javed as the interim head coach of Pakistan’s men’s white-ball side until Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan will take part in the tournament as defending champions and hosts if the tournament goes as initially planned to be hosted in Pakistan. 

His appointment means that Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s red-ball coach who took over as their interim white-ball coach for their ongoing tour Down Under after the resignation of Gary Kirsten, will continue only as a red-ball coach on their upcoming all-format tour of South Africa. 

Yesterday, reports circulated that Javed would be appointed as Pakistan’s all-format coach, with Gillespie facing the axe from his role as red-ball coach. PCB refuted this on the social media platform X, stating that Gillespie is slated to tour with the side for two Tests in South Africa. 

During his stint as coach, Javed will continue as a senior member of the Pakistan men's selection committee, which means that the white-ball coach will have a say in selection while that won’t be the case with the red-ball coach. 

PCB mentioned that Javed "will be assigned additional responsibilities following the conclusion" of the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9. They further added that it “will initiate the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach" and hope to find a suitable candidate by the end of the multi-team event. 

The 52-year-old has previously served as UAE’s head coach, Sri Lanka’s bowling coach, and Lahore Qalandars’ head coach and director of cricket operations for eight years. 

In his latest stint, he will take Pakistan’s white-ball side to Zimbabwe for six internationals across both formats, then another six games in South Africa. This will be followed by a tri-series at home involving South Africa and New Zealand as preparation before the big prize, the Champions Trophy. 

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