Former England batter Kevin Pietersen expressed his concerns regarding the premature resignation of Gary Kirsten as the white-ball head coach of Pakistan. Kirsten was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, he has stepped down from the role after a meagre six months. The South African took charge during Pakistan’s four-match T20I series against England in the lead-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. During his tenure as the white-ball head coach, Pakistan lost the series against England and was knocked out of the T20 World Cup from the group stage. The sources revealed that Kirsten’s resignation came in the wake of his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe. It is worth noting that previously, head coaches and captains of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.

However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten. Meanwhile, former England batter Kevin Pietersen questioned the PCB for letting go of a coach like Gary Kirsten, who boasts a solid resume. “How can Pakistan Cricket lose [Gary Kirsten] with his resumè in coaching?” questioned Pietersen. “One step forward the last few weeks and two steps back today! Stop doing it to yourselves. Too much talent to keep doing this kind of stuff!” he added. Notably, the PCB accepted Gary Kirsten’s resignation and appointed red-ball coach Jason Gillespie as the interim head coach for the white-ball format during the upcoming tour of Australia. “The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted,” the cricket board posted.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan