Gary Kirsten, the Pakistan team head coach, has slammed Babar Azam and co for not having any unity in the squad. This comes after Pakistan was knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2024 tournament in the group stage itself.
The Men in Green were one of the top contenders for the crown this year, but they fell short of expectations and were eliminated from the tournament in the league round. Their chances of progressing to the next round were dashed in the opening game when they were defeated by the United States.
And when they lost to India in their second game, their campaign looked all but gone. The United States’ loss to India and victory over Canada temporarily revived their low odds. However, Pakistan was eventually eliminated as the USA’s game versus Ireland was rained out. Their season finally concluded on Sunday (June 17) with an uninspiring victory by three wickets over Ireland in Florida.
Gary Kirsten says players value unity, fitness, and improvement to be part of the Pakistan team going forward
Only a day after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 ended in Florida, Gary Kirsten reportedly took a class of the Pakistan team. The former South African batsman, who has coached teams all over the world, expressed his dismay at the situation, claiming that the Pakistan players were not together and were not even supporting one another.
Kirsten also emphasized that Pakistan’s players must improve their fitness and talents to compete with the world’s elite teams. He also reminded Pakistan’s players that only individuals who want to improve their fitness would be selected for the team.
“There’s no unity in the Pakistan team. They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I’ve worked with many teams, but I’ve never seen such a situation.
“If we want to compete in the world, we have to improve our fitness and skills and be united. We are way behind in terms of fitness. Only the players who want to improve on their fitness will remain in the team,” said Gary Kirsten as per Geo News.
