Pakistan Cricket Board is under fire again as Gary Kirsten has resigned as head coach to the white-ball side for men. On the face of it, this is not the usual trend that comes along, but many Pakistan cricket enthusiasts are reminiscing the short wave of hope and optimism when this white-ball side beat England in the latter’s tour in their country. However, all the euphoria took an about-turn as that saw Kirsten suddenly throw in his resignation without the usual drama. PCB did all the needful with regards to Kirsten’s request to tender his resignation silently.
Gary Kirsten Sacked By PCB?
Kirsten, the 56-year-old South African who took India to that historic ODI World Cup win in 2011, was hired by the PCB at the end of April this year. His tenure, however, did not quite live up to the expectations, especially after Pakistan was sent back home from the T20 World Cup, having not even crossed the group stages.
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali reacted sharply to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s claims. According to him, former South African coach Gary Kirsten had left because he was trying to make the team better. According to him Kirsten wanted a different white-ball captain, and these suggestions were not being heard by the PCB
Gary Kirsten Against Mohammad Rizwan’s Captaincy
“Mohsin Naqvi has come with a lot of power. The coaches, selectors and managers are being removed. Earlier, the chairman used to be changed from time to time. Now, whoever raises their voice will be sidelined,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
“The story started when Mohammad Rizwan was named Pakistan’s new white-ball captain. Kirsten wanted a different captain and demanded another player in the team. Coincidently, both of them are not in the team. He was thinking that maybe he could have full authority. However, he doesn’t know that in Pakistan, even the PCB chairman can get changed overnight,” he added.
Mohammad Rizwan was appointed as the new white-ball captain after Babar Azam resigned from the position. The board also announced that Test coach Jason Gillespie will assume Kirsten’s duties for the tour of Australia, which commences on November 4 with three ODIs and three T20Is. Gillespie recently coached the team that won a historic Test series over England, a first at home since 2021. He also accepted the red-ball coaching role, along with Kirsten.
