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"Ready To Go Back To Pakistan…" Gary Kirsten Explains Why He Left PAK Coaching Job

Aakash Saini

Gary Kirsten with Babar Azam [Source: @CallMeSheri1/x]Gary Kirsten with Babar Azam [Source: @CallMeSheri1/x]

Gary Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball coach back in early 2024 last year. However, the former South African cricketer tendered his resignation just six months into his job, citing a power rift between him and members of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who became Pakistan’s Test coach around the same time as Kirsten’s appointment, also left the team later that year. In a recent podcast, Kirsten explained the reason behind his decision, and even claimed that he is ready to make his return into the ‘Men in Green’ coaching setup, albeit under the “right circumstances”.

Kirsten Takes A Sly Dig At PCB For Interfering With PAK Team

While speaking on the Wisden Cricket Patreon podcast, Gary Kirsten reflected his “tumultuous” six-month journey with Pakistan cricket as white-ball coach. The former South African cricketer added that he left his gig upon realizing that he was not going to have much of an influence with the ‘Men in Green’. India’s 2011 World Cup winning coach said:

“It was a tumultuous few months. I realized quite quickly I wasn’t going to have much of an influence. Once I was taken off selection and asked to take a team and not be able to shape the team, it became very difficult as a coach then to have any sort of positive influence on the group.”

Gary Kirsten also claimed that he is ready to return to Pakistan’s coaching setup, albeit under the right circumstances. Without naming anyone, the legendary Proteas batter took a sly dig at PCB officials for meddling with the team and the selection policies. He added:

“If I got invited back to Pakistan tomorrow, I would go, but I would want to go for the players, and I would want to go under the right circumstances. Cricket teams need to be run by cricket people. When that’s not happening and when there’s a lot of noise from the outside that’s very influential noise, it’s very difficult for leaders within the team to walk a journey that you feel like you need to walk in order to take this team to where it needs to go.”

Following the departure of Gary Kirsten, the PCB appointed former cricketer Aaqib Javed as an interim head coach of the team. The Pakistan cricket team is currently helmed by New Zealand-based coaching expert Mike Hesson for T20Is and ODI matches.