Kolkata : Pakistan limited overs head coach Gary Kirsten has stepped down from his role with immediate effect.
The South African was appointed for 2 years in April 2024, but has stepped down from his role barely 6 months after commencement of his contract, ahead of the ODI series against Australia.
Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Test Coach Jason Gillespie will coach the team in upcoming White Ball tour against Australia.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted,” Pakistan Cricket posted on X.
There had been a rift developing between Pakistan’s newly-appointed coaches, Kirsten and Test coach Jason Gillespie, and the PCB since the board decided to strip them off selection powers, with that authority exclusively the preserve of a selection committee they would no longer be a part of.
Kirsten did not make a public statement, but was understood to be disappointed with the recent developments.
As per reports, Gary Kirsten was in disagreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over selection of the team and announcement of the squad for the upcoming series against Australia and Zimbabwe.
The rift worsened as reportedly PCB did not take Gary Kirsten’s suggestions on the squad into account, which led to his decision to party ways from head coach post.
As per reports, delay in announcing a squad and new limited-overs captain was down to animated discussions within the board, with Kirsten keen to have his input taken into consideration.
Ultimately, though, when the new captain Mohammad Rizwan was announced at a press conference in Lahore, board chairman Mohsin Naqvi was flanked only by Aaqib Javed, a member of the new selection committee, and the new captain and vice-captain Salman Agha. Kirsten was not even in the country at the time.
The coaches have felt sidelined by the rise in influence of the current selection committee. After Pakistan lost the first Test against England, a new selection panel – a third in three months – was announced. Aaqib, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Hassan Cheema were on it, while the coaches and captain were taken off.
Dar was considered the original architect of the idea behind preparing a recycled surface for the second Test in Multan – which Pakistan went on to win – while Aaqib became the public face of the overhaul.
It even led new white-ball captain Rizwan at one point to remark during the Test that Pakistan were now playing “Aaqib-ball”.
Pakistan spent the best part of three months in the hunt for what Naqvi called “the best in class” coaches for the team, with several high-profile candidates, including Shane Watson and Daren Sammy, sounded out.
Ultimately, they settled on Kirsten, who led India to a first ODI World Cup title in 28 years, for the white-ball format, with Naqvi saying it was a “remarkable opportunity for our players to glean insights from these seasoned professionals”.
“PCB used the same approach when its new selection committee denied and ignored test coach Jason Gillespie and captain Shan Masood from having a say in team selection,” sources told IANS.
“And while the selection committee’s attitude did not sit well with Jason Gillespie, he was adamant about continuing his duties. Gary Kirsten on the other hand has taken a different route and announced his resignation,” it further added.
However, the disastrous group stage exit of the Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup campaign raised serious questions over his appointment with voices from within the PCB and its selection committee, opting to take decisions on their own.
