Inspired by Woolmer, ‘chunky’ Kirsten is ready to take on Pakistan’s challenge

Pakistan’s new white-ball manager Gary Kirsten may not have directly joined the team yet, but it seems he is already preparing for the magnitude of the challenge.talk to talk sportsKirsten said she had little doubt about Pakistan’s talent, but also hinted at problems she was already aware of.

“Everyone always talks about how they watched these players play on a particular day and were fascinated by their ability,” he told former England fast bowler Steve Harmison and broadcaster Neil Mann. He said this while talking to Thorpe. “But in the short amount of time I’ve connected with my team remotely, I can quickly understand what the potential obstacles are. And my role as a coach is to understand the natural obstacles they have. I think it’s about helping people unlock their potential.”

Kirsten, who takes over at a time of flux for Pakistan cricket both on and off the field, said it was natural to expect negative results, with the ripple effects of poor performance on the field permeating all aspects of the game. suggested that he was doing so.

Pakistan had a poor performance in the ODI World Cup, losing 3-0 to Australia in a Test match and 4-1 in a T20I match to New Zealand. Pakistan then faced a weakened visiting New Zealand team, who were held to a 2-2 draw, before defeating Ireland 2-1 this week.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam was removed as captain and replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was replaced by Babar a few weeks later. Off the field, Mickey Arthur was removed as team director, with Mohammad Hafeez filling the role in Australia and New Zealand, but last year saw three different PCB presidents take over.

“I know from my experience in coaching that cliques emerge in most unwinning team environments, and in fact, they can be even more pronounced in certain cultures and environments. There’s one thing about being a coach that I’ve been doing for over 20 years is that you get a little thicker, that’s one thing I learned from Bob. [Woolmer]by the way.

“By the end of his coaching career, he had put on a really thick skin because when your team isn’t doing well, you accept the fact that there are always going to be a lot of difficulties and try to do the best job you can. That’s because it’s just that.” Criticism. “

“My kids are a little older now, so it’s a little easier to travel, and working with an international team like Pakistan was very appealing to me.”

Kirsten’s time in India should, at least in theory, prepare him for the administrative challenges of working with the South Asian Cricket Board, accepting that there are inevitable limits to his authority. We need wisdom. “What I learned in my three years in India was that there are some battles you just can’t win. And I just have to focus on the battles I can win and hope that’s enough for the team to do well.” .

“Building relationships at the top is really important. You need to work well within the people above you and the board, and hopefully you have a decent relationship with them so they buy into your way of thinking. We need to build it.”

Kirsten on Babar: “It’s not fair to depend on one player.”

The most obvious example of this is in the controversial debate surrounding captain Babar and how best to use him in the shortest format. Kirsten cited his recent innings against Ireland (a 42-ball 75 win) and said one of her goals was to find space for Babar to play with such freedom more often. .

“that [dependence on Babar] “It’s not fair to any of the players,” Kirsten said. “He shouldn’t feel like he has to contribute to the team all the time. I’ve been in touch with Mr. Baber. He’s been doing very well and he’s carrying the weight of the team on his shoulders. What we’re trying to do as a coaching staff is try to remedy that a little bit and make him realize that he’s just one of a whole group of players and that he can let himself go and play to his natural talent. Thing.

“I hope to see more [the Ireland innings] A kind of knock from him. If we can unlock that freedom and understand that especially in T20 cricket there is a big group that can help win games, it will take a lot of pressure off him. ”

Since Kirsten was appointed as coach alongside Test team coach Jason Gillespie, Pakistan have played three T20I series against Ireland and won 2-1. Kirsten was not physically present with the team during the series due to her pre-IPL contract, but is expected to link up with the England squad when the two sides play four T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup. .

“I got a call while I was at the IPL and asked if I was interested. I have always been interested in international work and it is always a great privilege to be able to coach in that area. I’ve never done it before. I’ve been doing international work since I coached South Africa at the end of 2013. Now that the kids are a little older, it’s a little easier to travel, and I’ve been doing a lot of international work since I coached South Africa at the end of 2013. Working with such an international team was very appealing to me.”

Test cricket situation ‘very worrying’

During Kirsten’s two-year contract, Pakistan will participate in three white-ball ICC events: the upcoming T20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan, and the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka. . And while Kirsten admits his goal is to win one of the three events, he says he is not in favor of more ICC tournaments being held.

“Sometimes I worry about the lack of context in many matches. But does that mean we need to hold an ICC event every year? No, we need to hold a World Cup every year or another I think it might be risky to hold it in 2019 because the World Cup is always fun.” I’m waiting for those events to come.

“And we have to be very careful not to lose Test cricket. It worries me a lot that Test participating countries like South Africa are playing four Tests a year. . I don’t think Test cricket is that important anymore.”