Just six months after being appointed as the new head coach of Pakistan’s two white-ball sides, Gary Kirsten, the former World Cup-winning coach of the Indian team in 2011, has resigned from his position with immediate effect as the PCB needed to terminate his two-year contract till April 2026.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), later in the day, announced their red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie, to take the role of the South African during their upcoming six-match white-ball series in Australia, which will allow the board members and selectors to find a new individual in the position.
The reports have claimed a rift between the newly appointed coaches of the Green Brigade, Gary Kirsten and Gillespie, after the board decreased their power on the selection of the side, as a new selection committee was produced to make the changes between the recently concluded first and second Test against England.
The former Gujarat Titans (GT) coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) didn’t make a public statement but seemed to be disappointed with the recent developments. The board delayed their decision before announcing the squad for their Australia and Zimbabwe trip, besides declaring their wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan as the new captain of the side.
The whole delayed process has learned to be a part of the animated discussion between the board members and Gary Kirsten, who was keen to have his input into the whole discussion. Rizwan was appointed into the new position in the presence of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the new member of the selection committee Aaqib Javed, and the captain and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha.
Is Babar Azam responsible for Gary Kirsten stepping down as head coach? report reveals
The recent report on Cricket Pakistan has expressed that a debate over Babar Azam seems to be the key reason behind the stepping down of the former head coach. The information has addressed that both Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie weren’t in favor of resting their former captain.
Pakistan will be facing South Africa in an all-format series from the first week of December, before which they will be up against Zimbabwe in an ODI and T20I series. Given the conditions of both countries are quite similar, Kirsten wanted the Lahore-born to be part of the limited-over series, which would have helped him get used to the conditions.
Gary Kirsten also did extensive planning for the Champions ODI Cup and the tours of Australia and Zimbabwe and worked closely with the players. The South African was part of the domestic one-day event, where he addressed the young players.
Under his coaching tenure, the Green Brigade didn’t enjoy a great time as they were knocked out from the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). The former coaches were sidelined after they faced their sixth consecutive defeat in the Test matches.
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The new coaching panel found Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema being part of it. The former Pakistan umpire was considered to be the main person behind the idea of the recycled track for the second Test in Multan.
With the resignation of Gary Kirsten, Mohammad Rizwan, a new captain in the white-ball side, will be under the coaching of a new head coach, as Pakistan is ready to prepare themselves for the upcoming home ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to begin in the second week of February.