Gary Kirsten shares the horrific experiences he had while working as the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team. Former South African cricketer and India’s 2011 World Cup-winning coach made a serious attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
During a recent conversation with talkSPORT Cricket, Kirsten revealed that the work culture around the team forced her to resign from the post. The veteran coach claimed that he was surprised to see the ‘level of interference’.
Gary Kirsten leaves Pakistan cricket after just 6 months as head coach
Kirsten was appointed as the white-ball coach of the Pakistan cricket team in April 2024. He was contracted for a tenure of 2 years, but was terminated after only 6 months of tenure. There were several reports that indicated that Gary Kirsten left the job due to the toxic work culture around the team.
During the latest conversation, the coach said that he was surprised to see so much interference in the team, which he had never seen before.
Why did the World Cup winning coach leave the job so soon?
Kirsten, speaking to talkSPORT Cricket, said, “The thing that probably surprised me more than anything was the level of interference. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at that level before. Did it surprise me? I don’t know, but it was significant.”
He was troubled by the constant noise coming from outside, which prevented him from applying his coaching formulas to shape the team. As well as the continued noise, Gary Kirsten was troubled by the retaliatory actions taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board over poor performances.
The veteran coach added, “It’s quite difficult for a coach to come in and figure out a way to work with the players when there’s constant noise from outside. It was tough, just the constant noise from outside and a lot of punitive actions because of poor performance and things like that.”
“As a coach, you’re the one with the worst results when the team is not performing, so ‘let’s get rid of the coach or let’s ban the coach,’ because that’s the easiest thing to do when the team is not performing – and in my view that’s counterproductive. Then why hire a coach?” Kirsten added.
Gary Kirsten has expressed concern over the level of outside interference during his tenure as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach.
“The thing that surprised me was the level of intervention.”
~ Gary Kirsten pic.twitter.com/zHCu0ZNDeu
– Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) 21 March 2026
Following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2026, the South African was appointed as the head coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team on a two-year contract from 15 April. He will remain in this role till April 14, 2028. Under his guidance, the Sri Lankan cricket team will play the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Sri Lanka Cricket appoints Gary Kirsten as its new head coach
“Kirsten’s primary responsibilities will include guiding the Sri Lanka national men’s team in their preparation and campaign for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027,” Sri Lanka Cricket explained via an official press release.
During the showcase tournament, Kirsten was associated with Cricket Namibia as a consultant during the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
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