Jason Gillespie has been appointed as the new head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team white-ball for Gary Kirsten. The announcement is made at a time when Pakistan is gearing up for a tour of Australia, to start on November 4.
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.
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 28, 2024
Sudden Resignation Of Gary Kirsten
The PCB confirmed Gillespie’s appointment after Kirsten quit the position without giving a public explanation for his resignation. Reports indicated that Kirsten wanted to quit due to increasing restrictions by the PCB on its coaches to pick players.
Row Over Coaching And Selection
Kirsten and Gillespie each aired their grievances. Indeed, Gillespie described himself as a “match-day analyst,” which means he felt slighted. For the white-ball, Mohammad Rizwan has been appointed the captain, announced recently. The absence of Kirsten at this critical hour helped stir up tensions.
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Despite a turnaround that ensured a Test series victory over England, Kirsten’s exit remains shockingly surprising, leaving without coaching Pakistan in an ODI-a format in which he has historically enjoyed success, winning the World Cup as a coach.
The PCB has recently formed a new selection committee, their third this month, and Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema will make up the committee. Excluding coaches and captains from discussions during selections led to this action, which has been creating mounting frustration among coaches.
Australia Tour And ICC Champions Trophy
Kirsten’s resignation comes after a miserable performance by Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. It was the earliest that the team had to leave an ICC tournament. The team will be busy with the tour of Australia in three ODIs and T20Is during the first half of 2025, hosted by Pakistan, plus the ICC Champions Trophy.
This is a very significant moment for Pakistan cricket to regain momentum and compete at the highest level.
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