Just six months after being appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball coach, Gary Kirsten has stepped down, citing irreconcilable differences over the team’s management. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested Jason Gillespie, currently the red-ball coach, to take on the white-ball coaching duties as well.
Cricbuzz had previously speculated about Kirsten’s potential departure, and on Monday morning, the PCB confirmed the split with the former South Africa batsman ahead of Pakistan’s twin white-ball tours of Australia and Zimbabwe, where they will play six matches in each country.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced that Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia following Gary Kirsten’s resignation, which has been accepted,” read the PCB’s brief statement. Part of the 15-member ODI squad departed for Australia on Monday, with the rest scheduled to follow on Tuesday.
Sources indicate significant disagreements between Kirsten and some players, though the PCB was reportedly not directly involved. Kirsten had pushed to appoint David Reid as a High Performance coach, a request the PCB declined, instead proposing other candidates which Kirsten found unsatisfactory.
Additionally, the PCB removed Kirsten and Gillespie from the selection committees after initially including them, a move criticized by former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur. “You can’t exclude the coach from selection discussions; he interacts with the players daily and needs to provide clear role communication and feedback,” Arthur wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Kirsten has not commented on the matter.
With just four months until the Champions Trophy, the PCB may need to find a full-time white-ball coach. Pakistan is set to host its first ICC tournament in over 20 years, making the timing of this coaching change far from ideal. Gillespie’s long-term role is also uncertain, although he recently led Pakistan to a come-from-behind 2-1 Test series victory over England.
Kirsten took on the role in May after his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, initially joining the Pakistan squad in England. The team struggled in a series loss to Jos Buttler’s side and later faltered in the T20 World Cup, including an unexpected defeat to the USA and a narrow loss to India, which dashed their hopes of progressing in the ICC tournament in June.
