Former Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie expressed surprise and wondered why young talents like Irfan Khan Niazi and spinner Sufiyan Muqeem were omitted from the Pakistan squad for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Stating that the duo could have significantly helped the men in green in their quest to defend the title, Gillespie said, "Irfan Khan Niazi is one of the hardest hitters and cleanest strikers of a cricket ball in Pakistan. He is also the best fielder in the country. I cannot believe that he was not picked for the Champions Trophy."

The former Australian fast bowler also spoke about Muqeem’s potential and said, "Sufiyan Muqeem is a very talented cricketer who, if given the right opportunities, can be a great servant for Pakistan cricket. Already in his short international career, he has shown that he has the skills and temperament to play at the highest level. For the selectors and team management to leave him out and go into the Champions Trophy with just one proper spinner was a glaring mistake," he said.

Pakistan has hired three coaches since the ODI World Cup 2023, and Gillespie, too, met the same fate less than a year into his appointment as the Test team's coach.

"You want to be able to have clear communication with all stakeholders, with selectors, for instance, knowing what the team is as head coach well before the game, or at least the day before the game," said Gillespie on the ABC Grandstand show.

"The straw that broke the camel's back, I suppose, was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer. I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have a high-performance coach," he said.

"Tim Nielsen was told that his services were no longer required, and I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that, and I just thought after a number of other things that had gone on in the previous few months, that was probably the moment where I thought, ‘Well, I'm not really sure if they actually really want me to do this job or not,’" Gillespie concluded.

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