WEBDESK: Former Pakistan white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten has revealed the main reason behind his sudden resignation – he had no real influence over cricket decisions. Kirsten, who joined the Pakistan setup earlier this year on a two-year contract, stepped down without even coaching a single One Day International (ODI) match.
In a candid conversation on the Wisden Cricket Patreon podcast, Kirsten laid bare the frustrations that defined his brief stint with the national side, emphasising that Pakistan’s cricketing environment lacked the structure and autonomy needed for coaching success.
“Cricket teams need to be run by cricket people,” Kirsten said. “Once I was taken off selection and asked to take a team I hadn’t helped shape, it became very difficult to have any sort of positive influence.”
Gary Kirsten was appointed Pakistan’s white-ball coach in April 2024 alongside Jason Gillespie, who took charge of the Test side. Their appointments were widely welcomed as part of a new direction under the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). But what followed was anything but stable.
This lack of control became especially frustrating for Gary Kirsten during preparations for Pakistan’s important tour to Australia. Despite being head coach, he had no say in team selection. His resignation highlights deeper issues within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), particularly around the roles and powers of coaching staff.
However, Gary Kirsten has not ruled out a return to coaching Pakistan but stressed that it would have to be under significantly different conditions.
“If I got invited back to Pakistan tomorrow, I would go,” Kirsten stated. “But I would want to go for the players, and I would want to go under the right circumstances.”
Kirsten, though, spoke highly of the Pakistani players he worked with. “I love the Pakistan players, they’re great guys,” he said. “I had a very short period of time with them and I feel for them. More than any other team in the world, they feel the pressure of performance massively. When they lose, it’s hectic for them.”
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