Gary Kirsten has stepped down from his role as head coach with immediate effect who joined the side on a two-year deal in April 2024.
As per reports, the situation has deteriorated due to serious differences between Kirsten and the players. A conflict arose when Kirsten approached the board to appoint David Reily as the high-performance manager which was rejected by Pakistan.
With a rift developed between Pakistan’s newly appointed coaches, Kirsten and Jason Gillespie and the board, the PCB has decided to strip the selection powers which Jason Gillespie spoke over his role change ahead of the third test against England.
Kirsten did not make a statement but it was clear that he was disappointed with the recent developments between the board. After the Pakistan squad announcement and Mohammad Rizwan’s name as Pakistan White ball captain, Kirsten was not set to join the squad for the Australia tour.
The head coach feels that the influence of the current selection committee has led to this deterioration. The new selection committee has been formed after Pakistan’s defeat in the first test against England with Aaqib, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Hassan Cheema being the panel members.
Aleem Dar was the mastermind behind the recycled surface for the second test in Multan, while Aaqib became the public face of the overhaul.
Kirsten took over the coaching duties in Pakistan during Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 where the side suffered a defeat in the campaign. The departure of Kirsten will speed up things inside Pakistan cricket. It means that Kirsten will be leaving his role without having coached Pakistan in a single ODI.
Pakistan spent a lot of time on the Head coach hunt and considered several high-profile candidates Shane Watson and Daren Sammy. But they settled with Kirsten, who led India to its first ODI World Cup title in 28 years, with PCB chairman Naqvi saying it was a ‘remarkable opportunity for our players to clean insights from these seasoned professionals’.
It is still not clear who will be replace Kirsten for the upcoming tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. It is learnt that PCB is considering asking Gillespie to take over the role on an interim basis, but Aaqib Javed is believed to have him in the longer term.
