Gary Kirsten started his two-year assignment as the coach of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team when he joined 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. However Pakistan’s start in World Cup 2024 got a shocking start as they lost to USA in their first encounter . On the other hand India their next opponent has already started on winning note thrashing Ireland by 8 wickets.
Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten assures fans of a strong performance against arch-rivals India, despite a recent loss to the USA. The match is set to take place on Sunday at Nassau County Stadium in New York. Pakistan went a step further and after bowling out for mere 119 runs failed to chase 120 runs in 120 balls falling short by 6 runs. Having lost 2 matches in the group stages Pakistan is now on the verge of crashing out of World T20 2024 in group stage itself.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten admitted that the team put more pressure on itself than was required in the T20 World Cup 2024 match against India. The mistakes the players made resulted in them paying a hefty price.
Coach Gary Kirsten warns players as Pakistan face group-stage exit in T20 World Cup 2024
Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten has warned the squad’s senior players after their poor performances in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The former Team India coach believes senior players must step up their game as per modern standards or get left behind. The Men in Green’s T20 World Cup 2024 run is hanging by a thread after losing to USA and India. Pakistan’s batting unit has not clicked so far, characterized by the top-order’s inability to play with a brisk strike rate.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the match against Canada on Tuesday, Kirsten said the players will face backlash in case of poor performances, stating:
“These guys are all international players and they’re aware that when they’re not performing at their best that there’s going to be pressure put on them. That’s understandable, but a lot of these guys have played a lot of T20 cricket around the world over many, many years and it’s really up to them to decide how they’re going to take their games forward.”
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s performances against USA and India, respectively, have come under plenty of criticism, as their lack of intent cost Pakistan. Babar scored 44 off 43 deliveries against USA, while Rizwan perished for 31 off 44 balls against India.
Coach Gary Kirsten states T20 cricket is evolving
Kirsten further underlined the need to keep evolving, given how fast the game is changing every passing year. He added:
“I think for me the most important thing for every international player is that you continue growing and developing as a player, and understanding what the demands of international competition are. The game is changing pretty much every year. So, if you’re not up to it and you’re not improving, you’re going to get found out somewhere.”
Pakistan not only need to beat Ireland and Canada comprehensively, but also hope for USA to lose their remaining fixtures with an inferior net run-rate.