Former Pakistan head coach Dav Whatmore has warned new coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie that the job was not an easy one. The dup were brought on as the white-ball and red-ball coaches respectively as a part of the PCB’s overhaul following their embarrassing exit in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Whatmore served as Pakistan’s coach for a two-year stint from 2012.
Whatmore’s warning to new Pakistan coaches
Whatmore touched upon the challenges that Kirsten and Gillespie were likely to face, given the volatile nature of the board and the sport in Pakistan. The former coach considers himself ‘lucky’ to have gotten the opportunity to complete his term as coach instead of being ejected prematurely. He added that he has advised Gillespie to stay calm and collected in the process of coaching Pakistan.
“It looks like we have already seen changes in the selection committee, and whether there will be further casualties as a result of those performances, time will tell. But yeah, I can tell you his job might not be that easy I can tell you,” he said to a local news channel in an interview, as per Cricket Pakistan.
Gary Kirsten’s report on Pakistan’s T20 WC debacle
Gary Kirsten submitted a confidential report to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) outlining the possible reasons of the team’s debacle across the Atlantic, earlier in June. This was Kirsten’s first assignment after taking charge and it ended on a miserable note with Pakistan’s group stage exit.
According to Geo News, Kirsten’s report highlights several areas that contributed to Pakistan’s early exit from the tournament. These include player fitness, discipline, and game awareness. Kirsten, who was India’s coach during their 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, expressed concerns about the players’ fitness levels, believing they fell short of the required standards.