Gary Kirsten pointed to a worrying lack of fitness among some players. According to the Pakistan head coach, this lack of cohesion significantly hampered the on-field performance. Kirsten’s comments offer a harsh but potentially valuable perspective. Kirsten had taken over the role just before the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
Gary Kirsten gave a highly critical view of the pakistan cricket team.
Gary Kirsten, the head coach of the Pakistan T20 cricket team, has reportedly commented on Pakistan’s disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup group stage. He cited the team’s struggles, attributing them to a lack of unity and fitness issues
Kirsten delivered a scathing critique, underlining the serious nature of the team’s lack of unity and the alarming fitness issues among some players
According to the report by Geo News, which was also cited by Cricket Pakistan, Kirsten observed a ‘lack of mutual support among players unlike any he’s encountered in his career’
Kirsten has also stated that players who show improvement will be included in the team, while others will be excluded
The South African, who joined the Pakistan team just before the World Cup, also questioned some of the Pakistan players’ shot selection and skill set
Kirsten, who had led India to the 2011 ODI World Cup title, had earlier expressed disappointment after the loss against India. “Disappointing loss, that’s for sure. I knew 120 was not going to be an easy target. If India got only 120, it was always going to be not the easiest. But I think we had the game at 72 for 2 with six or seven overs left. Disappointing not to get across the line from the position we got ourselves into,” Kirsten had said at the post-match press conference.
“Decision-making. Maybe not so great decision making. You have got the game on, run a ball, eight wickets in hand, decision making at that point. That’s the game. That’s international cricket for you. You make mistakes like that, you are going to pay,” Kirsten had added.
Gary Kirsten had a long career with South Africa. He played 101 Tests and 185 ODIs for the Proteas. The opening batsman scored 7289 runs in Tests and 6798 runs in ODIs. He became a coach after his retirement and landed the high-profile job of Team India’s head coach in 2007.
In 2010, Dhoni famously said that Kirsten was the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket. In 2011, the Men in Blue ended the country’s 28-year wait by winning the ODI World Cup title.