Gary Kirsten Mohsin Naqvi for Pakistan. Image Credits: X/AFP
When a seasoned coach like Gary Kirsten speaks, the cricketing world listens. And this time, he hasn’t held back. The former Pakistan head coach went for the jugular and openly called out the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for excessive interference during his short and messy stint.
Kirsten, who was brought in with big expectations in April 2024, barely lasted six months. And now his words make it crystal clear that this wasn’t about results, it was about chaos behind the scenes.
Gary Kirsten opens up on Pakistan exit
Kirsten didn’t sugarcoat anything. He called out the environment inside Pakistan cricket and how the constant involvement from the board made his job almost impossible.
“The thing that surprised me more than anything was the level of interference. I don’t think I have ever seen it at that level before. Did it surprise me? I don’t know, but it was significant,” Gary Kirsten told talkSPORT Cricket.
That’s a massive statement. When a coach of his experience says he has never seen anything like it, you know things were completely out of hand. Too many voices, too many opinions and in the end, the team paid the price.
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“Constant noise from the outside” made things unworkable
Gary Kirsten made it clear that the biggest challenge wasn’t the opposition, it was the off-field noise.
“It is quite difficult for a coach to come and formulate a way that you can work with the players when there is just this constant noise from the outside.”
And it didn’t stop there.
“It was tough, just this constant noise from the outside and a lot of punitive actions around poor performance and stuff like that.”
In simple terms, there was no breathing space. No time to build combinations. No chance to settle things down.
“Coach is the lowest hanging fruit”
If there is one line that sums up modern cricket boards, it’s this.
“As a coach, you are the lowest hanging fruit when the team isn’t going well, so let us get rid of the coach or let us put a restriction on the coach because that is the easiest thing to do when the teams are performing and that is kind of counterproductive in my view.”
Gary Kirsten hit the nail on the head here. Instead of fixing the root cause, the easiest way out is to sack the coach. But as he pointed out, that approach does more harm than good. You can’t build a winning team if you keep changing the architect every few months.
From Kirsten to Gillespie, same old story
What makes this even worse is what happened next.
Gary Kirsten stepped down just a week before Pakistan’s Australia tour. Then Test coach Jason Gillespie was asked to handle the white-ball setup as well. But even he didn’t stick around for long.
That tells you everything. This isn’t about one coach failing. This is a system that’s constantly shooting itself in the foot.
Conclusion
Gary Kirsten’s comments aren’t just criticism; they are a clear warning sign.
Pakistan cricket has all the talent in the world. But unless the off-field interference stops, they will keep going around in circles.
Right now, it’s not just about fixing the players or the team. Pakistan need to fix what’s happening behind the scenes or else, it will be the same story, different tour.
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