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.
Gary Kirsten says players are motivated more than ever for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2024 match
In the wake of an unexpected and embarrassing loss to co-hosts USA, Pakistan limited-overs head coach Gary Kirsten assured fans that Babar Azam’s squad won’t need any extra motivation for their crucial T20 World Cup clash against arch-rivals India, scheduled on Sunday in New York. Last edition’s finalists, Pakistan, commenced their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a sour note, falling to the USA in a Super Over and now face India on a challenging batting pitch at Nassau County Stadium.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten has revealed that the players don’t need extra motivation for their big match against India on Sunday in New York. The former Team India coach underlined the need to start afresh and forget the events of June 6.
Pakistan’s World Cup hopes have received a massive dent after being beaten by USA in Dallas. With the Men in Green set to face the mighty Indian side and holding an underwhelming record against them, they risk enduring a group-stage exit.
Speaking at a pre-game press conference, Gary Kirsten underlined that the game is as big as it gets and believes moving forward from bad days is the only thing one can do.
“I certainly see it as a massive privilege to be part of these games. Cricket doesn’t get bigger than this. It’s going to be a great occasion. It’s a big game, India-Pakistan. There’s no need for me to motivate the team any more, they’re well motivated, they’re focused for this game. We’ve to forget about the last couple of days and just move forward. That’s the only way you can deal with life.”
Pakistan’s performance in all departments came under fire after a shattering loss to the associate-playing nation. Skipper Babar Azam’s slow-paced 43-ball 44 and the panic of experienced bowlers in crunch moments certainly cost them.
“We need to make sure we play the best cricket we can now” – Gary Kirsten says
The 56-year-old brushed aside the importance of history between the two sides in the ICC events. Instead, Gary Kirsten suggested the need to focus on the present:
“I don’t like to harp on history too much. We need to make sure we play the best cricket we can now, so tomorrow we’re going to go out there and make sure we do the best that we can with our skill sets, and how we can put pressure on the opposition. That’s what we would want to do every game, that’s certainly how we would plan for every game. So it’s really up to us to get ourselves up for the game.”
Pakistan have beaten India only once in seven T20 World Cup meetings thus far. However once again Pakistan faces India in a World Cup encounter which promises to be another intense encounter full of nerves and testing potential. While India has acclimatized to New York, having played two matches, including a warmup against Bangladesh, this will be Pakistan’s first game in this venue for the tournament.