Tag: Gary Kirsten

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has addressed the recent allegations made by former white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, who cited external “interference” as a key reason behind his premature exit from the role.

Kirsten, who was appointed in April 2024 alongside Test head coach Jason Gillespie, stepped down just six months into what was initially a two-year contract.

His resignation came shortly after the PCB announced squads for the ODI and T20I tours of Australia and Zimbabwe, decisions reportedly made without his involvement.

In a recent interview, Kirsten openly criticised the working environment within Pakistan cricket, highlighting what he described as excessive outside influence.

“The thing that surprised me more than anything was the level of interference. I don’t think I have ever seen it at that level before,” Kirsten said.

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“It is quite difficult for a coach to come and formulate a way that you can work with the players when there is just this constant noise from the outside.”

He further pointed out that coaching staff often become easy targets when results do not go a team’s way.

Kirsten further stated that coaches are always in the firing line when a team ends on the losing side. He noted that removing coaches is often seen as the easiest option and questioned the very purpose of appointing them.

Responding to these claims during a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium, Mohsin Naqvi adopted a measured stance, distancing himself from the controversy and indicating limited direct involvement with the former coach.

“I didn’t have many interactions with Gary Kirsten, so it would be better if those people who were co-ordinating things with him and involved regularly with him responded in detail to his allegations,” Naqvi stated.

READ: Lahore Qalandars confirm Dasun Shanaka replacement for PSL 11

WINDHOEK: Cricket Namibia have named former Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten as men’s cricket team consultant ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Kirsten, a former South Africa player, has a wealth of coaching experience under his belt, having previously coached India during their 2011 World Cup triumph, South Africa, and most recently Pakistan.

“Cricket Namibia is proud to announce the appointment of Gary Kirsten as Consultant for the Namibian National Men’s Cricket Teams,” the board wrote in a statement.

Following the announcement, Kirsten expressed his joy at joining Cricket Namibia for the mega event.

“It is indeed a privilege to work with Cricket Namibia,” Kirsten said in a statement from the board.

“I have been thoroughly impressed with the dedication and determination to create a high-performance cricket environment,” he continued.

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He mentioned Namibia’s upgraded cricket facilities while highlighting the men’s team’s performance for the T20 World Cup.

“Their new state-of-the-art cricket stadium is a testament to their commitment to making sure their national teams are competing with the best cricket countries in the world.

Their senior men’s national team is performing well, and I look forward to adding value to their preparation for the T20 World Cup in February next year,” Kirsten remarked.

The 58-year-old Kirsten will work closely with Namibia’s men’s head coach Craig Williams during his consultancy stint.

For the unversed, Namibia has secured qualification for the 20-team World Cup after reaching the final of the ICC Africa qualifiers in Harare earlier this year, marking their fourth consecutive appearance in the event since 2021.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, running from February 7 to March 8.

Namibia are placed alongside the defending champions India, Pakistan, USA, and the Netherlands in Group A.

T20 World Cup Groups:

Group A: India, USA, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan
Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, Nepal
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

READ: Agha opens up on ‘major changes’ ahead of T20 World Cup

Ramiz Raja, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has warned about the potential consequences of the sudden resignation of Gary Kirsten as white-ball head coach.

Kirsten was appointed by the cricket board in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, he stepped down from the role on 28 October after a meagre six months.

The South African took charge during Pakistan’s four-match T20I series against England in the lead-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

During his tenure as the white-ball head coach, Pakistan lost the series against England and were knocked out of the T20 World Cup from the group stage.

The sources revealed that Kirsten’s resignation came in the wake of his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe.

It is worth noting that previously, head coaches and captains of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.

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However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten.

Ramiz Raja, while talking to the media, stated that the cricket board will find difficulty in hiring top-level international coaches in future.

“When you search for international coaches, with the kind of backlash that you will probably get from Gary Kirsten’s resignation…it’s not going to be an easy, straightforward job for Pakistan to hire international talent,” Ramiz said.

“What you need to do is to make sure that once you involve and engage somebody, you’ve got to give them clarity regarding the role. I don’t know whether that clarity was given to Gary Kirsten.

“It’s not great news [Kirsten’s departure] because Pakistan needed an experienced hand. From a distance, it doesn’t look great just before a tour.”

READ: PCB chief inspects Champions Trophy arrangements at Karachi’s National Stadium

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen expressed his concerns regarding the premature resignation of Gary Kirsten as the white-ball head coach of Pakistan.

Kirsten was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, he has stepped down from the role after a meagre six months.

The South African took charge during Pakistan’s four-match T20I series against England in the lead-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

During his tenure as the white-ball head coach, Pakistan lost the series against England and were knocked out of the T20 World Cup from the group stage.

The sources revealed that Kirsten’s resignation came in the wake of his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe.

It is worth noting that previously, head coaches and captains of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.

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However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten.

Meanwhile, former England batter Kevin Pietersen questioned the PCB for letting go of a coach like Gary Kirsten, who boasts a solid resume.

“How can Pakistan Cricket lose [Gary Kirsten] with his resumè in coaching?” questioned Pietersen.

“One step forward the last few weeks and two steps back today! Stop doing it to yourselves. Too much talent to keep doing this kind of stuff!” he added.

Notably, the PCB accepted Gary Kirsten’s resignation and appointed red-ball coach Jason Gillespie as the interim head coach for the white-ball format during the upcoming tour of Australia.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted,” the cricket board posted.

READ: Mohammad Rizwan determined to lead ‘by example’ as white-ball captain

Former South Africa batter Gary Kirsten has resigned as the white-ball head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, sources revealed.

Kirsten was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, he has stepped down from the role after a meagre six months.

The South African took charge during Pakistan’s four-match T20I series against England in the lead-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

During his tenure as the white-ball head coach, Pakistan lost the series against England and were knocked out of the T20 World Cup from the group stage.

The sources revealed that Kirsten’s resignation came in the wake of his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe.

It’s worth noting that previously head coach and captain of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.

However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten.

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Moreover, the PCB announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 international season, along with the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe. The reports suggest that Kirsten expressed his disagreements over the squads.

The cricket board also appointed wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan as the captain for Pakistan’s white-ball team ahead of the upcoming tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.

The Australia tour will run from 4-18 November, while the matches in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will be played from 24 November to 5 December.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain and will lead the team in Rizwan’s absence during the T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan Squad for Australia Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

T20I SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan

Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir

T20I SQUAD: Salman Ali Agha (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan

READ: Mohammad Amir reacts to Fakhar Zaman’s exclusion from Pakistan squad

Former Pakistan pacer Yasir Arafat claimed that white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten’s report after the national team’s dismal run at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 resulted in Babar Azam’s resignation from captaincy.

Kirsten reportedly wrote a confidential report to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which got leaked in the media, in which he highlighted the issues that contributed to Pakistan’s disastrous performance during the T20 World Cup 2024.

The former champions, under the captaincy of Babar Azam, were knocked out of the group stage of the tournament for the first time, mainly due to their upset defeat against co-host United States of America (USA) in the campaign opener, followed by a gut-wrenching defeat against arch-rivals India.

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Meanwhile, three months after the national team’s early exit from the mega event, Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, shockingly announced to step down from the role to focus more on his batting.

But, former Pakistan cricketer Yasir Arafat was of the view that Babar’s resignation was linked with Gary Kirsten’s report.

“If you remember, after the end of the T20 World Cup 2024 Gary Kirsten wrote a report,” said Arafat.

“So, I think, the recommendations he gave, especially regarding Babar’s captaincy after analyzing his leadership in England and also in the World Cup, led to Babar’s resignation.

“Also, he [Kirsten] had analyzed that Babar was not the perfect candidate for Pakistan captaincy.”

Earlier today, it was reported that Gary Kirsten wanted Babar Azam to continue as the captain of the ODI team. However, he was keen on replacing Babar as captain in T20I format.

However, Babar decided to quit as captain from both formats and informed a top official in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before announcing his resignation.

READ: Hasan Ali reacts to Babar Azam’s resignation as Pakistan captain

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Salman Naseer shared that team unity was one of the key points that came under discussion during the recently concluded Connection Camp here at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Naseer, addressing the media here, revealed that the idea behind calling the high-profile meeting, dubbed Connection Camp, was to resolve the issues ahead of the national team’s busy schedule.

The PCB COO acknowledged a dip in the performance of not just the national team but also of the management before revealing the talking points of the discussion including unity and collaboration.

“We have a hectic schedule, and it was the right moment to sit together and discuss matters,” said Naseer.

“There were three to four important things on which we did brainstorming and I think it was the need of the hour as we all know that the performance of either players or management can be improvised.

“Another idea [behind the Connection Camp] was that we sit together to identify the issues, things which can be improved and also our vision and what steps are needed to achieve it.

“So, we built a roadmap on how we can reignite our excellence and what steps are necessary to achieve success.

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“It was an open and transparent session, during which we got to talk to each other with utmost honesty and discussed unity, collaboration and how we can improve our communication.”

When asked whether he acknowledges that there was a lack of unity in the team, Salman Naseer shared that the Connection Camp was held in this regard as well.

“Today’s session was held in this regard as well so that we can openly, sincerely and candidly accept, identify and ask for commitment from each other and make demands so that we can improve our performance and also on how we need to work together as a team since it is a team sport.”

On the other hand, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten termed Connection Camp a success before asserting that the stakeholders have largely achieved the purpose of the gathering.

“The connection camp was brilliant. We spoke about supporting each other, and I believe we’ve largely achieved the purpose of this gathering. Everyone has shown a real commitment to restore the pride of Pakistan cricket,” Kirsten said.

Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie backed Kirsten’s remarks and termed the Connection Camp a wonderful opportunity.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to sit down together. We need to connect with each other, and this was the right time to do so,” Gillespie said.

READ: PCB charges Lions for slow over-rate in Champions Cup

Pakistan white-ball coach Gary Kirsten has stressed the need for a minor adjustment and ‘fine-tuning’ in players of the national cricket team.

Kirsten held a meeting with the mentors and the head coaches of the teams participating in the ongoing Champions One-Day Cup in Faisalabad.

The meeting was also attended by Pakistan’s high-performance coach David Reid and Director of High Performance and the Champions Cup, Nadeem Khan.

The former legendary South African batter stated that Pakistan has so much talent but the players just need a minor adjustment and ‘fine-tuning.’ He also highlighted the importance of teamwork to win major trophies and series.

“Individuals can win matches, but series and titles are won through teamwork,” he said.

Earlier, Gary Kirsten acknowledged that the pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are under immense workload.

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Kirsten, while commentating on Monday’s Champions One-Day Cup, shared an alarming insight regarding ace pacer Afridi, who according to him, bowled three times more than any other pacer in the world.

“Fast bowlers are always under immense pressure to deliver and win games. When we look at our key resources, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have carried the bulk of the workload for Pakistan across all formats,” said Gary Kirsten.

“Shaheen has bowled three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world over the last 18 months. That’s alarming—you’re bound to wear him down eventually,” he added.

Notably, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah are one of the few players, who are regular parts of the Pakistan team across formats.

Both pacers have sustained severe injuries in the past, resulting in them missing out on major tournaments like ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2022 and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

READ: ‘Mohammad Rizwan doesn’t score runs when it matters’

Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten on Monday, acknowledged that their pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are under immense workload.

Kirsten, while commentating on Monday’s Champions One-Day Cup, shared an alarming insight regarding ace pacer Afridi, who according to him, bowled three times more than any other pacer in the world.

“Fast bowlers are always under immense pressure to deliver and win games. When we look at our key resources, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have carried the bulk of the workload for Pakistan across all formats,” said Gary Kirsten.

“Shaheen has bowled three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world over the last 18 months. That’s alarming—you’re bound to wear him down eventually,” he added.

Notably, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah are one of the few players, who are regular parts of the Pakistan team across formats.

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Both pacers have sustained severe injuries in the past, resulting in them missing out on major tournaments like ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2022 and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Remember, Shaheen sustained a knee injury amid Pakistan’s first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka in 2022, which resulted in him missing the second match of the series and the first two ODIs against the Netherlands.

The left-arm pacer then ruled out of the Asia Cup as his injury worsened.

On the other hand, Naseem Shah sustained an injury to his right shoulder in the blockbuster Asia Cup 2023 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.

The right-arm pacer walked off the field in the 46th over of India’s innings and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament remainder.

Naseem sustained a much worse injury to his right shoulder than was suspected by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the severity of the injury was such that the young pacer got ruled out of the World Cup.

READ: India thump Korea to reach Asian Hockey Champions Trophy final

FAISALABAD: Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten reached here for the Champions One-Day Cup, being held here at the Iqbal Stadium from September 12 to 29.

According to the details, Kirsten touched down here on Friday night and was accompanied by high-performance coach David Reid.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also shared the footage of Gary Kirsten’s arrival.

“Pakistan white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten and high-performance coach David Reid arrive in Faisalabad to witness the Champions One-Day Cup,” wrote PCB in the caption.

 

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In the video, Kirsten can be seen greeting Pakistan men’s team’s selectors Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq before joining them in watching the ongoing clash between Mohammad Haris-led Stallions and Shaheen Afridi-led Lions.

Details further suggested that Kirsten will witness every match of the Champions One-Day Cup as he is assigned to build a strong pool of players, who will go on to represent the national team in future including the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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During his visit to Pakistan, Kirsten will also attend a high-profile meeting and workshop to discuss the future of the national cricket team as well as all-format captaincy.

The meeting, dubbed the “Connection Camp” is likely to be held on September 22 and will be presided by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who will also attend the workshop.

In the Connection Camp, Kirsten will be accompanied by Pakistan red-ball coach Jason Gillespie and the heads of international, domestic, and high-performance departments while senior cricketers, coaches and PCB officials will also be in attendance.

Pakistan red-ball head coach Gillespie is scheduled to reach Pakistan on September 22.

In the first match of the Champions One-Day Cup, Kamran Ghulam’s century propelled Markhors to a thumping 160-run victory over the Panthers.

READ: Former captain thinks Rizwan’s age “only criticism” for his captaincy