Gary Kirsten, the head coach, on June 17, slammed the troubled Pakistan cricket team, highlighting a severe lack of unity which he described as unprecedented in his coaching career. Kirsten's remarks come in the aftermath of Pakistan's premature exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
Despite entering the tournament as runners-up from the previous edition, Pakistan delivered one of its poorest performances in recent years, concluding the event with a consolation victory over Ireland. They suffered unexpected defeats to newcomers USA and traditional rivals India.
According to reports in Pakistan's media, Kirsten, who led India to an ODI World Cup triumph in 2011, did not hold back in his assessment of the team after their elimination from the T20 tournament.
"There is no unity in Pakistan's team. They call themselves a team, but they are not united. There is no support among the players; everyone is divided," Kirsten stated, as reported by a senior journalist.
Sources quoting Kirsten on the Jang Newspaper website reported that he observed a distinct lack of unity within the team, identifying it as the primary reason for their early exit from the World Cup. "Since joining the team at the end of May, I have been surprised by the lack of unity," Kirsten reportedly told the players. The South African coach, who joined the team immediately after his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, also expressed dissatisfaction with the fitness and skill levels of the Pakistani players.
Kirsten allegedly addressed the players, criticizing their fitness standards and their cricketing skills, suggesting that many were not up to international standards. The report further mentioned that Kirsten had warned the players that those who failed to improve would face exclusion from future team selections.
A source within the Pakistan Cricket Board disclosed that Kirsten would soon submit a comprehensive report on the team's performance to PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi.
"Kirsten has already discussed this with PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi, and now that the World Cup assignment is over, he will send a detailed report," the source stated.
Kirsten has returned home from the USA along with his assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood, and plans to visit Lahore by the end of August. Reflecting on Pakistan's defeat to India, Kirsten attributed it to poor decision-making.
"It was a disappointing loss, no doubt," Kirsten remarked. "I knew defending a target of 120 would not be easy. We had the game under control at 72 for 2 with six or seven overs remaining. It's disappointing that we couldn't finish from such a promising position."
In their final match of the T20 World Cup, Pakistan defeated Ireland by three wickets at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida. However, earlier losses to the USA and India resulted in Pakistan's elimination from the event before the completion of the group-stage matches. Despite this, their victory against Ireland secured them a third-place finish in Group A, with two wins from four games.
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