Fresh exchanges between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Aaqib Javed and former Pakistan coaching staff Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, who left their roles as head coaches, have put a further spotlight on the matter.

When Aaqib expressed his viewpoint on a podcast, the most recent round of criticism started. According to Javed, Gillespie and Kirsten created difficulties for the selectors throughout the selection process by refusing to take into account the thoughts of other team members.  

Javed had stated on the Public Sports and Public News YouTube channel that it was challenging to collaborate with Kirsten and Gillespie since they used to veto other selections.

"Frankly speaking, they used to overrule every selector. They weren't willing to listen to anyone," he said.

Then he described a meeting in Multan when he said that the coaching staff had no plan at all for a Test match against England.

"I went to Multan and spoke with Jason and Shan. I asked them, What was your plan after the first test against England? They had no plan. This isn't going to work," Javed said.

Gillespie has finally addressed these allegations, refuted the charges, and provided his own account of what happened. In an especially direct moment, Gillespie called Javed a "muppet," which made former Australian bowler Glenn McGrath and co-host Damien Fleming giggle.

Gillespie also disclosed his disapproval of Aaqib's decision to use industrial fans to dry up the ground at Rawalpindi and construct turning tracks for the series against England. For those who don't know, this strategy was used after England crushed Pakistan by almost 600 runs in the first match of the series.

“I asked him, 'What was your plan after the first test? We lost the first Test against England. No, you didn't ask Aaqib. You waited in, and you said, 'This is what we're doing.' We're changing the team. We are playing on the same surface that we just played a five-day test on in four days. So, it was going to be a day 10 or 11 surface. And I asked them, 'Why are we doing that?' We've got other surfaces prepared because you've got to play on the best surface available,” Gillespie said on the ‘Fast Bowling Cartel’ podcast.

“We were instructed before Aaqib and the new selectors came in that you could only pick players who passed the fitness testing criteria. What I had an issue with in the pitch was the suggestion to sprinkle it with sand as well. Not only did we have a 10- or 11-day pitch, but we also just sprinkled it with sand. So, give me a spell, Aaqib, you muppet,” Gillespie added.

In the last two years, Pakistan has changed about 16 coaches and 26 selectors, and the game of musical chairs is continuing.