akistan’s new white-ball coach, Gary Kirsten, may not have joined the team in person yet, but he is already preparing for the challenges ahead. In an interview with talkSPORT, Kirsten expressed confidence in the talent within the Pakistan squad while hinting at underlying issues he has identified.
“Everyone always talks about watching some of these players play on any given day and getting mesmerized by their abilities,” Kirsten said, speaking to former England fast bowler Steve Harmison and broadcaster Neil Manthorp. “But the short time I’ve had in connection remotely with the team, one can pick up very quickly what the potential blockages are. And I guess it’s my role as a coach to assist in unlocking the natural ability that they have.”
Kirsten takes over at a time of both on- and off-field flux in Pakistan cricket. Following a poor ODI World Cup, Pakistan lost 3-0 in Tests to Australia and 4-1 in T20Is in New Zealand. They only managed a 2-2 draw against a weakened visiting New Zealand team before scraping past Ireland 2-1. During this period, Babar Azam was sacked as captain and replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi, only for Afridi to be replaced by Babar a few weeks later. Off the field, Mickey Arthur was removed as team director, with Mohammad Hafeez performing the role in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, there have been three different PCB chairmen in the last year.
“I’ve been around the coaching circuit enough to know that pretty much any team environment that’s not winning, you will get factions,” Kirsten said. “The fact is, it could be highlighted even more in certain cultures and environments. The one thing about being a coach of over 20 years now is that you get a little bit more thick-skinned. And that’s the one thing I did learn from Bob Woolmer, by the way. He had a really thick skin by the end of his coaching career. Because you’re just trying to do as best a job you can, accepting the fact that when the team’s not doing well, there’s always going to be a whole bunch of criticism.”
Kirsten’s appointment comes alongside Jason Gillespie, who will serve as the coach of the Test side. Despite not being physically with the team during the recent series against Ireland due to IPL commitments, Kirsten is set to link up with the squad in England for a four-match T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“My kids are a little bit older now, which makes it slightly easier to travel, and to work with an international team of the likes of Pakistan was very appealing to me,” Kirsten said.
Kirsten on Babar: ‘Not Fair to Depend on One Player’
One of the contentious issues in Pakistan cricket has been the role of Babar Azam, especially in the shortest format. Kirsten pointed to Babar’s recent match-winning innings against Ireland – a 42-ball 75 – as an example of the kind of freedom he wants to unlock in Babar’s play.
“It [dependence on Babar] is not fair on any player,” Kirsten said. “He shouldn’t feel like he has to be contributing all the time to a team. I’ve been in touch with Babar. He’s done remarkably well and carries a lot of the weight of the team on his shoulders. What we will try to do as a coaching staff is to lift that a little bit and to realize he’s just one of a whole group of players and that he can free himself up to play with his natural talent.”
Kirsten hopes to see more performances like Babar’s innings against Ireland. “Hopefully we see a lot more of that [the Ireland innings] kind of knock from him. I think if we can unlock that freedom and understand that there’s a big group of guys that can make match-winning contributions, especially in T20 cricket, that’ll take a lot of pressure off him.”
Future Prospects and Concerns for Test Cricket
During Kirsten’s two-year contract, Pakistan will participate in three white-ball ICC events: the upcoming T20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. While Kirsten has set his sights on winning one of these events, he expressed concerns about the current state of international cricket.
“Sometimes I do get concerned about the lack of context in many games,” Kirsten said. “But does it mean we need to have an ICC event every year? No, I think it could be dangerous to have a World Cup every year or other year because it’s always fun waiting for those events to come around. And we’ve got to be really careful we don’t lose Test cricket. Having Test-playing nations like South Africa playing four Tests a year worries me deeply – to think Test cricket is not so important anymore.”
Kirsten’s experience with India should, in theory, prepare him for the administrative challenges of working with a cricket board in South Asia. “I think my learnings over my three years with India was that there are some battles that you just absolutely not going to win. And then you just focus on the ones that you can win, and hopefully that’s enough for the team to do really well.”
“It’s really important that you build relationships upwards. You need to work well with the people upstairs and within the confines of the board, and hopefully build a decent relationship so that they buy into your thinking as well.”
As Gary Kirsten embarks on this new journey with Pakistan, his blend of experience, tactical acumen, and relationship-building will be crucial in navigating the complexities and unlocking the potential within the team.
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