Pakistan are looking for a replacement for Misbah-ul-Haq, who resigned as Pakistan’s head coach ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. Gary Kirsten is one of three shortlisted for the position by the PCB. Along with Garry, the other two members of the shortlist are Australian coach Simon Katich and former England star Peter Moores.
Gary was the head coach of the Indian team that won the ODI World Cup in 2011 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni). Katich is an experienced man who has coached two IPL teams. He was the co-coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Moores, meanwhile, has twice served as England’s head coach.
Gary, who coached the South African team for some time after the 2011 World Cup, will take over as Pakistan’s coach, especially considering the PCB ‘s goal is to appoint a foreign coach on a long – term basis. Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis resigned as head coach and bowling coach respectively. The PCB has appointed Saqlain Mushtaq as the current interim head coach of Pakistan. The bowling department is headed by former Pakistan batsman Abdul Razzaq. But with Rameez Raja taking over as PCB president, the stage is set for big changes.
According to an Indian Express report, the PCB is aiming to appoint a foreign coach as Pakistan’s head coach in the long run. The setback for this is that most of the foreign coaches are interested in becoming coaches in franchise cricket. Foreign coaches prefer franchise cricket because of its short duration. Overcoming this, the PCB is preparing to hire Gary Kirsten as coach. While Gary will take over as Pakistan’s head coach, Katich and Moore will have to settle for coaching positions with any team in the Pakistan Super League.
However, Misbah’s resignation before the World Cup did not affect Pakistan’s performance. They are doing well in the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Led by Babur Assam, they are on the verge of reaching the semi – finals with a 10 – wicket win over arch-rivals India in the first match and a five – wicket win over New Zealand in the second.
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