If the early T20 World Cup exit was not enough, the Pakistan cricket team has been dealt some bigger blows with a viral remark by its coach Gary Kirsten going viral. According to media reports in Pakistan and by news agency PTI, Kirsten, who guided India to ODI World Cup triumph in 2011, pulled no punches in his assessment of the team after being eliminated from the ongoing T20 showpiece. “There’s no unity in Pakistan’s team. They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I’ve worked with many teams, but I’ve never seen such a situation,” Kirsten said as per reports quoting a senior scribe.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Monday suggested Gary Kirsten not to waste his time in Pakistan after the South African claimed that the Babar Azam-led side was plagued by disunity.
Kirsten castigated the Pakistan players for not supporting each other during their disastrous T20 World Cup campaign, saying he has never experienced such toxic atmosphere in a team.
Kirsten took up the assignment as Pakistan's head coach just before the tournament in the USA and West Indies but was left disappointed as the side made a first round exit after losing to newcomers USA and India.
Harbhajan, in jest, asked Kirsten to take back the coaching role with the Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup under him.
"Don't waste ur time there Gary .. Come back to Coach Team INDIA .. Gary Kirsten One of the rare .. A Great Coach, Mentor, Honest nd very dear friend to all in the our 2011 Team .. our winning coach of 2011 worldcup . Special man Gary @Gary_Kirsten," Harbhajan posted on 'X'.
Don't waste ur time there Gary .. Come back to Coach Team INDIA .. Gary Kirsten One of the rare .. A Great Coach ,Mentor, Honest nd very dear friend to all in the our 2011 Team .. our winning coach of 2011 worldcup . Special man Gary @Gary_Kirstenhttps://t.co/q2vAZQbWC4
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 17, 2024
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir is expected to replace Rahul Dravid as India’s next head coach.
Geosuper.tv 4 quoted sources as saying that Kirsten had expressed his displeasure over the fitness level of the players. The former South Africa opener also said the team is far behind in terms of skill level as compared to the rest of the world.
After Pakistan's defeat to India, Kirsten put the team's loss down to poor decision-making.
"Disappointing loss, that's for sure," Kirsten had said.
With PTI inputs