The changes to Pakistan cricket setup keep on coming, even when the senior men’s side defeated England in a Test series after losing the first game of the three-match series. A new white-ball captain in the form of Mohammad Rizwan, was announced on Sunday, ahead of the ODI series against Australia. The announcement was made in a press conference in Lahore and it was attended by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, Mohammad Rizwan, new vice-captain Salman Ali Agha and member of the selection committee Aaqib Javed.
However, the white-ball coach Gary Kirsten was nowhere to be seen, and on Monday, it was revealed that the former World Cup-winning coach has resigned from his duties. The former South Africa opening batter has depared from his role just six months after signing a two-year contract.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has now reacted to this development, saying Pakistan cricket has taken “two steps back today.”
“How can Pakistan Cricket lose Gary Kirsten’s with his resumè in coaching? One step forward the last few weeks and two steps back today! Stop doing it to yourselves. Too much talent to keep doing this kind of stuff,” Kevin Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Hafeez calls out PCB for ‘incompetence’
As soon as the decision of Gary Kirsten stepping down as the white-ball coach was made formal, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez called out the PCB, saying “Total Incompetence #Chaos.”
As Gary Kirsten has stepped down as the coach, red-ball coach Jason Gillespie will be accompanying the team for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia in Australia.
It is important to state that Gary Kirsten was the eighth different man after August 2021, to call himself as the coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team. Since 2021, there have been four different chairmans of the board as well — Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf, and Naqvi.
When it comes to Pakistan cricket, there have been six different chief selectors and 28 members that have picked teams for the men’s side, over the last 12 months.
Babar Azam was the all-format captain until the 2023 ODI World Cup, but he was then replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi in the white-ball format, and Shan Masood in the red-ball format.
Babar Azam, however, returned as white-ball captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup, and he now has been replaced by Rizwan.
