Won World Cup with India, former coach Gary Kirsten explains decision to join Pakistan. cricket news

In a significant move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced the appointment of World Cup winner Gary Kirsten as its head coach for ODIs and T20Is, while former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie will take over the role in Test cricket. Kirsten has previously had successful stints with India and South Africa, with her 2011 ODI World Cup win with the MS Dhoni-led side arguably being the highlight. Along with him, former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was appointed the assistant coach of the team across all formats.

Speaking about his decision to become the coach of the Pakistan team, Kirsten said that his primary objective is to unify the Pakistan white-ball team.

“It is a great honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of coaching the Pakistan men’s national team in white-ball cricket and to rejoin the international cricket arena after some time away. I am eagerly looking forward to this opportunity and will be very proud of the Pakistan men’s I aim to make a positive contribution to the national team.” Kirsten’s strategy in limited overs cricket focuses on prioritizing consistency in team selection, aiming to create a stable and consistent environment that allows players to perform at their best. He believes that maintaining a cohesive unit and building strong team dynamics is essential for team success in international competitions.

“One of the beautiful aspects of cricket is its universality. There is a shared understanding across different cultures when we discuss the game. My goal is to unite the Pakistan men’s white-ball team, combining their talents for a common purpose. We have to use it and achieve success together on the field,” he said.

Kirsten, who is currently the mentor of IPL team Gujarat Titans, is expected to take charge from Pakistan’s tour of England from May 22.

Pakistan will play four T20 matches and from there the team will travel for the T20 World Cup in June.

Pakistan have been in search of a full-time head coach since the end of the 50-over World Cup last year, where they failed to enter the knockout stage.

Following their disappointing effort at the prestigious event held in India, Pakistan had sacked the entire set of coaching staff – head coach Grant Bradburn, team director Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Andrew Puttick.

Premier batsman Babar Azam was also removed from the captaincy after the ICC showpiece, with Pakistan opting to appoint fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as their white-ball leader and Shan Masood performing this duty in the Tests.

Along with this, Pakistan had also turned to former cricketer Muhammad Hafeez for a guiding role during their tour of Australia.

But Hafeez had to lose his job after Pakistan lost 0-3 in the Test series and 1-4 in the T20 series.

While Masood was retained as Test captain, Afridi was relieved of the leadership and Babar was reinstated in the last week of March.

However, Pakistan could not find a full-time head coach despite being approached by some top names like Matthew Hayden and Shane Watson.

Ultimately, he focused on Kirsten, who led India to the World Cup win in 2011, and Gillespie, who has a wealth of coaching experience with English county team Sussex.

With PTI inputs