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56-year-old Kirsten, who won the 2011 ODI World Cup title as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, joined Pakistan’s white-ball side as head coach in April 2024.
Gary Kirsten is likely to quit as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach. (Picture Credit: Screengrab)
Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten, who served as India’s head coach from 2007 to 2011 and was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach in April 2024, is likely to quit his job.
According to a report in Cricbuzz on Monday (October 28), it is highly likely that the 56-year-old South African, who played in 101 Tests and 185 ODIs during his 11-year-long international career, will continue his role as head coach of Men in Green in ODIs and T20Is.
It has been reported that he will not travel to Australia with the Pakistani team for the three-match ODI as well as T20I series, which starts on November 4 in Melbourne.
According to available information, there are serious differences of opinion between Kirsten and the Pakistani players. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also reportedly played its part in the situation by not favouring Kirsten’s request to appoint David Reid as a high-performance coach. Instead, the PCB reportedly suggested alternatives, which were not acceptable to Kirsten.
Kirsten joined the Pakistani team in May after completing his IPL duties with the Gujarat Titans. During his tenure, Men in Green travelled to the USA to take part in the 2024 edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. But it turned out to be a forgetful tournament for the 2009 champions, and for the first time they failed to progress from the group stage.
If Kirsten quits as Pakistan’s head coach in the coming weeks within six months of his appointment for the top job, Test head coach Jason Gillespie or former Pakistani pacer Aqib Javed, who has played a major role in Pakistan’s comeback 2-1 Test series win over England, could be appointed as the new head coach of white-ball teams.
Pakistan is scheduled to play multiple white-ball series in the coming months as part of their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to take place across three venues in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9.
After the Australia tour, Pakistan will travel to Zimbabwe for three ODIs and as many T20Is, which will be followed by an all-format tour of South Africa in December 2024-January 2025. Just before the eight-team ICC event in February next year, Pakistan will also take part in a tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa in Pakistan.
