previous Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten Opened up about his short and tumultuous tenure with the national team and revealed that excessive interference from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) played a major role in his early exit.Kirsten, who was appointed on a two-year contract in April 2024, resigned as head coach of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I teams in just six months. His sudden resignation comes just a week before Pakistan are scheduled to tour Australia for an ODI series.After his departure, PCB handed over additional responsibilities to Test coach Jason Gillespiehe was asked to oversee the white-ball leg of the Australian tour. However, Gillespie also parted ways with the team a few months later, exacerbating the instability in the coaching structure.Looking back on her experience, Kirsten noted that being constantly involved with the team was the most challenging aspect of the job.“What surprised me the most was the level of disruption. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this level of disruption before. Does it surprise me? I don’t know, but it’s significant,” Kirsten told talkSPORT Cricket.He explained that such an environment makes it difficult for coaches to execute plans and establish stable working relationships with players.“It’s difficult for coaches to develop a way of working with players when there’s constant noise coming from the outside. It’s tough, the constant noise from the outside and a lot of punishment for poor performance and things like that,” he added.Kirsten also emphasized that coaches often become easy targets when results don’t match team expectations, describing it as a counterproductive approach.“As a coach, you’re the easiest target when the team is not doing well, so let’s fire the coach, or let’s put restrictions on the coach, because that’s the easiest thing to do when the team is doing well, but in my opinion, that’s counterproductive,” Kirsten said.
