Pakistan’s head coach Gary Kirsten has come under fire from veteran national team player Ahmed Shehzad for making a seemingly weak comment ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2024. Kirsten, who is currently with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), will join Pakistan’s squad later this month for their tour of England.
Ahmed Shehzad calls out Gary Kirsten
Kirsten, who has been appointed as the coach of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I teams for a two-year period, raised eyebrows with his recent remarks. Ahmed Shehzad, who has not played for Pakistan since 2019, criticized Kirsten’s statement and questioned the decision to appoint him as the team’s coach.
He shared his thoughts with Geo News, saying, “Gary Kirsten is a well-known coach, but he’s going to be relying on information from those who are responsible for selecting the team. He doesn’t have a base in Lahore, nor has he grown up in Pakistan to understand the nature of different players.” Shehzad pointed out that since Kirsten will be relying on others for team insights, his impact might be limited, with the crucial decisions still being made by PCB officials.
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What had Kirsten said?
Shortly after his appointment, Kirsten stated on a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast that it would be a significant accomplishment if Pakistan could win any of the three upcoming ICC events. He remarked, “If you can win one of those three ICC Events, that will be an amazing achievement on its own, whether it’s the upcoming event or it’s two years from now.” He added, “My job is to make sure that the team operates at its best, it’s as simple as that. And if the team is operating at its best, we will always have a good chance of winning a trophy.”
Shehzad criticizes Kirsten’s approach
Shehzad also expressed concern about Kirsten’s approach, stating, “Already he has made a statement that I did not like. Kirsten said if we do not win the upcoming T20 World Cup, then we might do well in the next two. So already he is keeping himself in a safe position. He must show confidence and these are weak statements. This is not how a winner talks.”
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