Gary Kirsten’s Vision for Pakistan’s World Cup Glory
Renowned cricket coach, Gary Kirsten, is set to take the reins of the Pakistan men’s cricket team ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. His goal? To guide the team to an ICC Trophy win during his tenure.
Kirsten, a former South Africa opener and World Cup-winning coach with the Indian team, has been appointed for a two-year term. During this period, he will guide the team through three major ICC tournaments — two T20 World Cups (2024, 2026) and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
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“Winning one of those three ICC Events would be an incredible achievement, whether it’s the upcoming event or two years from now,” Kirsten shared on the PCB Podcast.
“My role is to ensure that the team performs at its best. If we can achieve that, we will always stand a good chance of winning a trophy.”
Match Highlights: England beat Pakistan to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 title.
Kirsten is currently engaged with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL and will join the Pakistan team post the tournament. Until then, Azhar Mahmood will continue as the interim head coach as the team gears up for the mega event.
Kirsten emphasized the importance of consistency and continuity in the process for achieving sustainable success at this level.
“I believe in continuity and consistency in the process. If we let the processes and systems serve their time, we have talented players and a good chance of achieving sustainable success, which is what every team strives for.”
“As a head coach, I need to understand the environment, identify what’s working and what’s not, and move into the spaces that may have blockages to free them up so that the players can perform at their best.”
Kirsten acknowledges the challenge ahead and admits that winning an ICC Trophy is no easy feat.
“Understanding where the team is at and where we want to go – like winning World Cup events, which is not easy – is important,” Kirsten said.
“Some people think you just show up and win the championship. You can’t guarantee a trophy, but you can put the steps in place to give yourself the best chance of winning one. That’s really what I intend to do.”
“Pakistan, as we all know, has a history of performing well in World Cup events. So it’s just one of the steps that you need to take to go all the way. It’s as simple as that.”