With the resignation of the limited-overs head coach for Pakistan, Gary Kirsten, because of the dispute between his thought process and the board members of the side, they are in line to find his replacement for the upcoming three-match ODI and T20I series in Zimbabwe, under the captaincy of captain Mohammad Rizwan and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) clarified that the former World Cup-winning head coach of India in 2011 has submitted his resignation, which has been accepted by them. Having just five days in hand before the start of the opening 50-over game in Melbourne, they have shouldered the responsibility on their red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie.
The disturbance started in the three days between the first and second Multan Test against England, where the PCB decided to change their whole selection committee on the back of their sixth consecutive Test defeat. They also dropped the three veteran players Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the squad, but none of these calls were taken after discussion with Gillespie.
“The problem is both Kirsten and Gillespie were not happy with their sudden demotion in powers with the selectors given powers to call all the shots.” The source has revealed to ‘Times Of India.’
Also Read: Jason Gillespie To Be Pakistan White-Ball Coach On Australia Tour After Gary Kirsten Resigns
It has been known that the former Australian accepted the changes happily in the middle of the England series but later publicly made it clear that he is not satisfied with the whole selection process and not getting involved in it.
“The situation now is that the PCB has to appoint a new white-ball coach given the number of white-ball commitments of the national team coming up and leading up to the Champions Trophy early next year.” The source spills the beans.
Toss-up between Saqlain Mushtaq and Aaqib Javed as new Pakistan head coach
Just before the start of the England Test series, Babar Azam resigned from the ODI and T20I captaincy, which led the selectors to decide Mohammad Rizwan as the new captain of Pakistan in the limited-overs format, keeping Salman Ali Agha as his deputy.
“One option is to let assistant coach Azhar Mahmood continue as interim head coach but, Aaqib (Javed) or Saqlain (Mushtaq) could also land the job.” The source highlighted.
Saqlain, the successful off-spinner of the Green Brigade, was the head coach of the side in the past before getting replaced by Mickey Arthur earlier last year when Najam Sethi was in power on the board. The other candidates could also meet the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, to soon have a discussion with the shortlisted candidates.
The Pakistan board is yet to confirm the resignation news of Kirsten or the latter has informed anything on it. But, the dispute and the decision to appoint Gillespie as the coach of the Australia trip have nearly approved the suspension.
“Look, we had high hopes from Kirsten when we entered into a two-year contract with him. The idea was he could help the PCB to revolutionize the white-ball team.” The same source was addressed to the TOI.
Also Read: Pakistan Appoints Mohammad Rizwan As New ODI And T20I Captain!! Betrays Shaheen Afridi
Mushtaq was part of the team during the T20 World Cup 2021 in the United Arab Emirates, where they finished among the top four, losing the semifinal against Australia in Dubai. The 47-year-old is ahead in the race with the former pacer Aaqib Javed, who featured in 185 games for the national side.
The final decision is likely to be taken between the Zimbabwe series of Pakistan as they aim towards the best preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 at home.