Gary Kirsten resigns as Pakistan’s white ball coach

Lahore: Pakistan cricket team’s white ball Head Coach and former South Africa cricketer Gary Kirsten has announced his resignation from the post after reports about arguments, conflicts of point of view and interests between him and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) aggravated, resulting in the departure of the white ball head coach, leaving the Pakistan National Cricket team without a coach. Gary Kirsten resignation comes only after barely six months into his appointment as head coach for the Pakistan cricket team. 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. “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. Gary Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball coach in April 2024 on a two-year contract. However, the disastrous performance of the Pakistan team in 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. Now, after the resignation of Gary Kirsten, Pakistan cricket team is without a coach. Sources say that Kirsten is likely to be replaced by former Pakistan cricketer Aqib Javed for a short term. Gary Kirsten would not be accompanying the team on their tour to Australia and is expected to return to his coaching duties worldwide with several franchises. Problems within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have persisted for some time now with differences between team coach, captain and the PCB selection committee having a serious toll on the performance of the team in the shorter and longer formats of the game. With the departure of Gary Kirsten, the white ball team of Pakistan is left to survive without a permanent coach. –IANS