The head coach of the white-ball side of Pakistan, Gary Kirsten, has headed back home as the cricket board is set to name their new captain after the resignation of Babar Azam, their former captain of the ODIs and T20Is. The next trip for these two formats for the Green Brigade will be the 50-over and 20-over series in Australia.
The former World Cup-winning coach with India went back home after spending the last few weeks in Lahore and Faisalabad, having watched the Champions Cup 2024 and attending several meetings with the selectors and the board officials to dissect the state of Pakistan cricket.
“Kirsten will join the Pakistan squad directly in Melbourne on October 29 for the white-ball series in Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.” The board official expressed the latest development.
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The preparation for the home Champions Trophy for the limited-overs team will start down under, as they are due to play a total of 18 games, nine ODIs, and as many T20Is, with the first of them starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 04.
Mohammad Rizwan or Shaheen Afridi? Pakistan to name new white-ball captain
The sources have also claimed that the head coach of the Pakistan side will be available whenever his input would be required for the selection or any other aspects with the players. Since the resignation of Babar, a few veteran names have circulated like the left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi or the wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Afridi had a tough time as the captain of the shortest format. He was appointed as the leader of the T20I team in January during their tour to New Zealand before he was sacked from the position after a 4-1 series defeat.
Rizwan could again come under speculation for the position, as he has been in the team for a long time and scoring at a consistent rate. The selectors will be meeting shortly to take the final call.
“Kirsten and even Jason Gillespie have had discussions with other people on the selection committee over the captaincy issue but, the decision will be taken keeping in mind the future and also the behavior and recent performances of potential candidates.” The insider has claimed, as quoted by the ‘Times of India.’
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The sources have also expressed that Rizwan is the front-runner to become the Pakistan captain for the white-ball format, but it has been known that the experienced player will take the decision looking back at how the former captains of the side have been handled in the past regarding the condition.
In the case of Afridi becoming the leader, it would be hard for him to feature across formats for a long time and still shoulder the extra burden of captaincy. Saud Shakeel has emerged as the new option for the leadership. But, in all likelihood, the team management will perhaps be looking at a young player.