‘Not going to be easy for Pakistan to hire international talent’ – Ramiz Raja on Gary Kirsten’s departure (Source – Getty Images)
Gary Kirsten stepped down as head coach of the Pakistan white-ball team only six months after joining. He signed a two-year contract in February 2024 with the hope of bringing success but the World Cup-winning coach failed to deliver in the T20 World Cup 2024 and after which, Pakistan cricket was subjected to immense criticism. Soon after that, captain Babar Azam stepped down and now, Kirsten quit.
As per reports, the 56-year-old wasn’t happy with Mohammad Rizwan being named as captain and for the same reason, he decided to part ways. Meanwhile, former cricketer Ramiz Raja stated that Kirsten quitting isn’t a good sign for Pakistan cricket as foreign coaches may refrain from coming in the future. He believes that Kirsten wasn’t given enough clarity, which played a part as well.
“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. 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,” Raja was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
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“I don’t know whether that clarity was given to Gary Kirsten or how he wanted to get Pakistan into this one-day phase, what he wanted to achieve. I’m not privy to that. 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,” he added.
I just hope Rizwan gets his playing XI: Raza
Meanwhile, in Gary Kirsten’s absence, Jason Gillespie will be filling in the role during Pakistan’s upcoming Australia tour. That will be Rizwan’s first tour as captain as well and speaking on the same, Raja stated that he hopes that the newly-appointed leader gets to play with the players he feels is right.
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“Right now, there’s a little bit of hodgepodge where the selection committee is nominating the playing XI. I’m not too sure it happens anywhere else in the world. I just hope Rizwan gets his playing XI that he feels comfortable with,” Raja said.