Pakistan appoint Gary Kirsten coach for white-ball team; Jason Gillespie takes over red-ball reins

Pakistan have named new head coaches for their men’s white-ball and red-ball teams.

Gary Kirsten, the head coach of the Indian team that won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2011, will assume the role of white-ball head coach of Pakistan heading into the upcoming T20 World Cup, the PCB announced in their press conference on Sunday.

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has been roped in as the head coach for Tests.

Azhar Mahmood, who recently acted as the head coach during the T20I series against New Zealand, will continue to be a part of the setup as an all-format assistant coach.

All three appointments have been made for a two-year period, the PCB confirmed in their press release.

Gary Kirsten, currently fulfilling duties as the batting coach and mentor for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is set to join the Pakistan team following the completion of the tournament.

His first big test will be the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies after which he is expected to be in charge of the team heading into ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, T20 Asia Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Gillespie’s tenure will commence with Pakistan’s home Test against Bangladesh in August, which will be a part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, followed by the Test series at home against England and away against South Africa.

Both Kirsten and Gillespie bring with them a wealth of coaching experience.

Kirsten was the head coach of India from 2008-2011, where he led the team to ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011 glory after 28 years and also took them to the No. 1 position on the ICC Test Team Rankings. More recently, he was part of the title-winning Gujarat Titans coaching setup in 2022.

Gillespie was at the helm of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, where he led them to back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. He was the coach of Adelaide Strikers from 2015-2024 and was part of the setup that won the Big Bash League in the 2017-18 season.

The new appointments will kick-start a new era of Pakistan Cricket under the leadership of Babar Azam, who was reinstated as captain late in March.

Speaking on his appointment, Gary Kirsten said: “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.

“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.”

Newly-appointed red-ball coach Jason Gillespie said: “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.

“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.

“The ICC World Test Championship is the ultimate in the Test format. I understand this cycle is likely to prove too great a task as we would need to win a lot of matches in a short space of time to have any chance of making the final, but aspiring to be in that final, and to winning it, has to be a medium- to long-term goal for us.”