Gary Kirsten unmasks PCB's politics, sheds light on ‘tumultuous’ Pakistan head coach tenure: ‘Teams need to be run by…’
Gary Kirsten also highlighted the challenge of operating within a PCB structure where cricket isn’t necessarily led by those who have played the game.
Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten opened up about his time as the Pakistan cricket team's white-ball coach and revealed why he relinquished the position. Kirsten, who led India to their 2011 ODI World Cup title, was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach in 2024 on a two-year deal. However, his tenure got off to a tough start during the T20 World Cup, as Pakistan fell at the group stage following shock defeats to the USA — a non-Test side — and to archrivals India during their US leg.
The Proteas veteran was assured a significant role in selection decisions upon his appointment, but that changed after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup exit, when he found himself excluded from subsequent selection meetings. He then decided to relinquish the head coach position after just six months.
Kirsten revealed that losing his say in team selection made it difficult for him to coach effectively and make a meaningful impact on the group.
"It was a tumultuous few months. I realised quite quickly I wasn’t going to have much of an influence. Once I was taken off selection and asked to take a team and not be able to shape the team, it became very difficult as a coach then to have any sort of positive influence on the group," Kirsten told Wisden.
The 57-year-old remains open to a return to Pakistan’s coaching setup, but stressed that he would do so only under the right conditions.
"If I got invited back to Pakistan tomorrow, I would go, but I would want to go for the players, and I would want to go under the right circumstances," Kirsten said.
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Pakistan cricket has witnessed a big downfall in the last few years, with back-to-back group stage exits in the ICC events - 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.
Conflict, internal divisions, and growing interference from officials have become a defining feature of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s landscape, fueling controversy and unrest within the game.
Kirsten also highlighted the challenge of operating within a PCB structure where cricket isn’t necessarily led by those who have played the game — something he believes has a detrimental impact.
"Cricket teams need to be run by cricket people. When that’s not happening and when there’s a lot of noise from the outside that’s very influential noise, it’s very difficult for leaders within the team to walk a journey that you feel like you need to walk in order to take this team to where it needs to go," he added.
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‘Too old now to be dealing with other agendas’: Kirsten
The 2011 World Cup-winning coach made it clear that he doesn't want to get involved in politics and other agendas outside cricket and just wants to coach a team. He also reserved high praise for Pakistan cricketers and talked about the pressure their players face after a loss.
"I’m too old now to be dealing with other agendas, I just want to coach a cricket team, work with the players – I love the Pakistan players, they’re great guys. 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, and they feel that. But they’re professional cricketers and I’m a professional cricket coach. When we get into that environment, there are generally certain things you do to help a team be the best that they can be, and when there’s no interference, you go down the road, and if it’s a talented group of guys, you’re generally going to have success," he concluded.
