Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten has opened up about his decision to step down as Pakistan’s white-ball coach just six months after taking the role. Kirsten was appointed alongside Jason Gillespie in April 2024, with Gillespie named head coach of the Test side.
Kirsten said he soon realised that he didn’t have much influence, which prompted his early exit. Soon after Kirsten’s departure, Gillespie also resigned, despite a successful ODI series win in Australia during his stint with the team.
“It was a tumultuous few months. I realised quite quickly I wasn’t going to have much of an influence. Once I was taken off selection and asked to take a team and not be able to shape the team, it became very difficult as a coach then to have any sort of positive influence on the group,” Kirsten said on the Wisden Podcast.
“I love the Pakistan players” – Kirsten
Kirsten also revealed that he would be open to coaching Pakistan again, but only under the right conditions. “If I got invited back to Pakistan tomorrow, I would go, but I would want to go for the players, and I would want to go under the right circumstances. Cricket teams need to be run by cricket people. When that’s not happening and when there’s a lot of noise from the outside that’s very influential noise, it’s very difficult for leaders within the team to walk a journey that you feel like you need to walk in order to take this team to where it needs to go,” he said.
Kirsten also talked about his fondness for the Pakistani players. “I’m too old now to be dealing with other agendas; I just want to coach a cricket team and work with the players – I love the Pakistan players; they’re great guys. I had a very short period of time with them, and I feel for them. More than any other team in the world, they feel the pressure of performance massively; when they lose, it’s hectic for them, and they feel that,” he further added.
“But they’re professional cricketers, and I’m a professional cricket coach. When we get into that environment, there are generally certain things you do to help a team be the best that they can be, and when there’s no interference, you go down the road, and if it’s a talented group of guys, you’re generally going to have success,” he concluded.
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