Islamabad, Oct 28: Gary Kirsten Resigns as Pakistan’s White-Ball Coach Amid Reshuffling in Coaching Staff
Just six months after being hired by the PCB on a two-year deal in April 2024, Kirsten resigned just one week before Pakistan’s ODI series in Australia got underway.
According to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo, a public statement will be released shortly.
Since the PCB opted to deprive Pakistan’s recently hired coaches, Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, of selection authority, leaving that power solely in the hands of a selection committee they would no longer participate on, a gulf had been growing between the two parties.
In the lead-up to the third Test match against England in Rawalpindi, Gillespie had made little attempt to hide his amazement at what had happened, claiming that “it wasn’t what I signed up for” and that he was now only a “match-day analyst.”
Although Kirsten remained silent, it was assumed that she was unhappy with the previous events. According to ESPNcricinfo, the board’s heated debates over Kirsten’s desire to have his opinion taken into account contributed to the delay in naming a team and a new limited-overs skipper.
However, board chairman Mohsin Naqvi was ultimately joined by the new captain and vice-captain, Salman Agha, and Aaqib Javed, a member of the new selection committee, when the new captain, Muhammad Rizwan, was revealed during a news conference in Lahore.
Aaqib, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema were on the new selection panel, which was announced after Pakistan lost the first Test against England.
The coaches and captain were removed, and Aaqib became the public face of the change. At one point, new white-ball captain Rizwan even remarked during the Test that Pakistan was now playing “Aaqib-ball.” Dar was credited with coming up with the idea of preparing a recycled surface for the second Test in Multan, which Pakistan won.
Who will take Kirsten’s position for the forthcoming trips of Zimbabwe and Australia is still up in the air. According to ESPNcricinfo, the PCB is thinking about asking Gillespie to fill the position temporarily, even though Aaqib is thought to have long-term goals for it.
The first ODI of Pakistan’s six-day tour of Australia, which will include three ODIs and an equal number of T20Is, is scheduled for Melbourne on November 4.
