Gary Kirsten steps down as Pakistan’s white-ball coach: report

South African Gary Kirsten has stepped down from the position of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I head coach exactly six months after his appointment, ESPNcricinfo reported on Monday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not addressed his reported departure as of yet.
On April 28, the Board appointed Kirsten, a former South Africa top-order batter, as the white-ball head coach for the men’s national team.

He coached the side in World Cup 2024 where the Green Shirts suffered a humiliating exit after losing both of their first two matches from winning positions.

The cricket board made a number of changes to the composition of the men’s national selection committee during Kirsten’s short stint, reportedly limiting his powers.

Separately, the PCB also announced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan as captain and batting all-rounder Agha Salman as the vice-captain of the cricket team for the white-ball format yesterday with Kirsten not even being in the country, let alone the press conference.

ESPNcricinfo reported that a rift had developed between the head coach and the PCB after the board decided to strip Kirsten of a say in the selection process.

The authority was instead “exclusively” handed over to a selection committee, which did not include Kirsten.

Kirsten was “keen” to have his “input taken into consideration” regarding the announcement of a squad and new limited-overs captain which went down to “animated discussions” with the board, ESPN said.
However, the decision was taken when Kirsten was not in the country, it added.

Pakistan did not play a single ODI match under Kirsten’s leadership, a format in which he won the cricket World Cup with India in 2011.