Gary Kirsten will start his two-year assignment as the coach of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team when he joins the squad in England on May 19.Pakistan will play four Twenty20s against England to prepare for the T20 World Cup next month in the Caribbean and the United States. Pakistan has delayed naming its final 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup until the first T20 against England next Tuesday at Leeds.
Gary Kirsten served as the mentor and batting coach of Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. They were knocked out of playoff contention on Monday. Last month, the 56-year-old South African was confirmed as the white-ball coach along with Jason Gillespie as the red-ball coach.
Pakistan ‘s performances in Previous World T20 Cups
Pakistan has done well in the last two T20 World Cups. It made the semifinals in 2021 and the final against England in 2022. The PCB has also appointed Simon Helmot as the fielding coach and David Reid as mental performance coach of the national team for the T20 World Cup. Reid will join the team next Monday while Helmot will team up with the Pakistan side on May 31 after the T20 series against England.
Gary Kirsten has been successful coach with Team India guiding them to 50 over World Cup win in 2011 under MS Dhoni and would love to emulate the same with Pakistan come this T20I World Cup.
“I’ve missed the experience of coaching at the international level and nurturing talented players to reach their full potential,” Kirsten said in a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday.
“I’m committed to working closely with the (Pakistan) team to elevate their game and bring joy to fans around the world.” he added.
Gary Kirsten has coached India and South Africa and has been the assistant coach of Netherlands during the 2019-2023 cycle.
It’s always just a massive privilege to be coaching in an international job- Gary Kirsten
Pakistan’s newly-appointed white-ball coach Gary Kirsten revealed that he was approached for the job amid his stint in IPL 2024. The former South African opener stated that he was always interested in an international role and his grown-up kids make it easier for him to focus now. Gary Kirsten will start his tenure with the Men in Green from the four-game T20I series against England, beginning on May 22 in Leeds. The 56-year-old’s big responsibility will be the 2024 T20 World Cup, as Pakistan hope to lift the trophy for the second time.
Speaking to TalkSport, Kirsten revealed that it’s always been a privilege to him to coach an international side and is looking forward to working with Pakistan.
“I got a phone call whilst I was at the IPL and, they asked whether I was interested. I’m always interested in an international job. It’s always just a massive privilege to be coaching in that space. I haven’t done an international job since coaching South Africa towards the end of 2013,” said Gary Kirsten.
“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,” he added.
The Cape Town-born cricketer produced excellent results when he was Team India’s coach. He led them to No.1 in the ICC Test rankings and the 50-over World Cup win in 2011.
You get a little bit more thick-skinned – Gary Kirsten
Banking on his extensive coaching experience, Gary Kirsten highlighted that he understands the presence of certain problems in every team. However, he credited the late Bob Woolmer for being thick-skinned and added:
“I’ve been around the coaching circuit enough to know that, pretty much any team environment that’s not winning, you will get factions. 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,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Pakistan registered a 2-1 T20I series win over Ireland earlier this month and would look to flourish under coach Gary Kirsten’s guidance.