Former head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, Gary Kirsten, has leveled allegations against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He revealed that it had become extremely difficult to work due to constant interference and a poor environment within the team. Kirsten had resigned from the post of Pakistan’s coach within six months. Kirsten said that there was too much external interference in the PCB, which negatively affected the team’s decisions and performance. He was Pakistan’s head coach at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the side failed to go past the group stage. The former cricketer was Namibia’s consultant at T20 World Cup 2026. ‘Constant noise from the outside’ Speaking to talkSPORT Cricket, Kirsten looked back on his stint as Pakistan’s head coach. “The thing that surprised me probably more than anything was the level of interference. I don’t think I have ever seen it at that level before. Did it surprise me? I don’t know, but it was significant,” he said. The former South African cricketer, who is also India’s 2011 World Cup-winning coach, called out the constant noise that affected the work environment. Kirsten however, said that he had a good relationship with the players. “It is quite difficult for a coach to come in and formulate a way to work with the players when there is just this constant noise from the outside. It was tough, just this constant noise from the outside, and a lot of punitive actions around poor performance and stuff like that. The 58-year-old also spoke about the tendency to blame the coach in case of poor performance in Pakistan cricket. “As a coach, you are the lowest-hanging fruit when the team isn’t going well, so ‘let us get rid of the coach or let us put a restriction on the coach,’ because that is the easiest thing to do when the team isn’t performing – and that is counterproductive in my view. Then why recruit the coach?,” he said. Gary Kirsten left Pakistan coaching job midway Kirsten became the white-ball coach of the Pakistan team in April 2024, but due to differences with the board and players, he left the post within six months. Gary Kirsten had called out ‘lack of unity’ in players The former cricketer also reportedly called out the ‘lack of unity’ in the dressing room. Furthermore, Kirsten said that he realised he won’t have much influence on the Pakistan team and hence resigned from the role of head coach in 2024. Also read: ‘Switch on, let’s not waste a minute of any session’: Virat Kohli motivates RCB camp ahead of season opener against SRH Jason Gillespie had also made similar allegations Former Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie had also recently spoken about resigning from the Pakistan team’s coaching position. Gillespie stated that he resigned not due to the team’s poor performance, but because of PCB’s attitude and internal workings. Pakistan had sacked Tim Nielsen, the senior assistant coach without any notice. “I was coaching the Pakistan Test side. The PCB sacked our senior assistant coach with ZERO communication with me about it- as Head Coach, I found this situation completely unacceptable. There were a number of other issues which left me completely humiliated,” Gillespie had shared. The former Australia pacer was appointed as the head coach of Pakistan’s Test cricket in April 2024. He resigned from this position in December 2024. Gary Kirsten appointed new Sri Lanka Head Coach Currently, former South African opener Kirsten has become Sri Lanka’s new head coach. The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) announced this on March 9. He will take charge of the team from April 15, 2026. Kirsten has been appointed on a two-year contract. He will replace Sanath Jayasuriya, who stepped down after the team’s exit from the Super-8 in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. The biggest tournament during his two-year tenure with Sri Lanka will be the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The team will aim to qualify directly for that tournament. Won the 2011 ODI World Cup Kirsten has a good coaching record. Under his guidance, India won the 2011 ODI World Cup. After that, the team consistently performed well in Tests and attaoned the top rank in the rankings. Subsequently, he also coached the South African team for two years. Post navigation Akash Deep ruled out as KKR’s injury crisis continues:Pathirana, Hasaranga to get SL’s approval after clearing fitness tests
