The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie as the new head coaches of the Pakistan senior men's cricket team for the white and the red-ball format respectively. Former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood has been appointed as the assistant coach across formats.
All three of Azhar, Kirsten and Gillespie have been handed a two-year contract each. While Azhar played the head coach role during Pakistan's recently culminated five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, Kirsten and Gillespie are yet to link up with the team.
Kirsten is the batting coach and mentor of Gujarat Titans and was a part of the franchise when it won the IPL in 2022. He already has plenty of experience of coaching international teams.
The South African coached India to a glorious World Cup final victory in 2011. He also rendered his services to the Proteas as a coach.
Though this will be Gillespie's first international experience as a coach, he has been coaching at the domestic level for quite some time now. The former Aussie speedster coached Yorkshire and Sussex before coaching the South Australian Redbacks and Adelaide Strikers.
"I am grateful to the PCB for their faith in my abilities and giving me the honour of coaching one of the most highly-regarded and talented cricket teams in the traditional format of the sport. Leading the Pakistan cricket team is a big achievement for any coach, given its rich legacy and passionate fan base," said Gillespie as quoted by the PCB.
"I love Test cricket and being able to focus on that is something I like very much. I also love the fact that there is so much talent in Pakistan. I like to think that I can help in some way to grow and develop the players. I want to win Tests – that is why I am taking this role. I love winning and I know we have got the skill to make that happen," he added.
"It’s a tremendous honour to be entrusted with the responsibility of coaching the Pakistan men’s national team in white-ball cricket and to rejoin the international cricket arena after some time. I eagerly anticipate this opportunity and aim to contribute positively to the Pakistan men's national team in limited-overs cricket," said Kirsten as quoted by the PCB.
"One of the beautiful aspects of cricket is its universality. Across cultures, there’s a shared understanding when we discuss the game. My goal is to unite the Pakistan men’s white-ball team, harnessing their considerable talents towards a common objective, and achieving success together on the field," he added after the appointment.
