Ramiz Raja, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has warned about the potential consequences of the sudden resignation of Gary Kirsten as white-ball head coach.
Kirsten was appointed by the cricket board in April 2024 for a two-year period. However, he stepped down from the role on 28 October after a meagre six months.
The South African took charge during Pakistan’s four-match T20I series against England in the lead-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
During his tenure as the white-ball head coach, Pakistan lost the series against England and were knocked out of the T20 World Cup from the group stage.
The sources revealed that Kirsten’s resignation came in the wake of his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe.
It is worth noting that previously, head coaches and captains of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.
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However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten.
Ramiz Raja, while talking to the media, stated that the cricket board will find difficulty in hiring top-level international coaches in future.
“When you search for international coaches, with the kind of backlash that you will probably get from Gary Kirsten’s resignation…it’s not going to be an easy, straightforward job for Pakistan to hire international talent,” Ramiz said.
“What you need to do is to make sure that once you involve and engage somebody, you’ve got to give them clarity regarding the role. I don’t know whether that clarity was given to Gary Kirsten.
“It’s not great news [Kirsten’s departure] because Pakistan needed an experienced hand. From a distance, it doesn’t look great just before a tour.”
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