Gary Kirsten has stepped down as coach of Pakistan’s men’s limited-overs cricket teams six months after his appointment amid an ongoing power struggle with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The former South African batter and coach parted ways with the white-ball teams on Monday, a day after Pakistan’s squads for their upcoming one-day international (ODI) and T20 tours of Australia and Zimbabwe were announced – ostensibly without his input in the selection.
Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s Test team coach, will be at the helm of the team during the tours but has not been confirmed as a permanent replacement for Kirsten.
“Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted,” the PCB said in a statement on X.
Kirsten and former Australian fast bowler Gillespie were announced as the white-ball and red-ball coaches respectively amid fanfare on April 28 and were tasked with leading the revival of the former world champions after their recent slump in international cricket.
The high-profile coaches’ appointments were touted as a promising move and both were reassured of wide-ranging influence in the selection and running of their respective squads.
However, their roles as selectors were revoked in recent weeks as the PCB hired a new-look selection committee led by former Pakistan fast bowler Aqib Javed.
The committee also included former International Cricket Council (ICC) elite umpire Aleem Dar, ex-players Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, as well as cricket analyst Hassan Cheema.
Both Kirsten and Gillespie, as well as Pakistan’s Test and limited-overs captains, were removed from the selection panel which chose the squad for Pakistan’s second and third Test matches against England before naming the ODI and T20 squads on Sunday.
Pakistan also named wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan their new white-ball captain, with all-rounder Salman Ali Agha as his deputy, shortly after the squad announcement.
