Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi on Monday responded to allegations made by former head coach Gary Kirsten, who claimed there was significant “interference” during his short stint with Pakistan cricket.Naqvi, speaking at a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, was asked about Kirsten’s remarks. He said he had ‘limited engagement’ with Kirsten during his tenure as coach.
“I didn’t have many interactions with Gary Kirsten, so it would be better if those people who were co-ordinating things with him and involved regularly with him responded in detail to his allegations,” Naqvi told reporters.Kirsten’s tenure as Pakistan head coach lasted just six months. The South African great was appointed in April 2024 on a two-year contract but resigned in October 2024.What are Kirsten’s claims?In an interview with talkSPORT, Kirsten opened up about the challenges he faced during his time with the Pakistan team.“The thing that surprised me 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,” Kirsten said while speaking to talkSPORT Cricket.Kirsten explained that such an environment made it extremely difficult for a coach to implement plans.“It is quite difficult for a coach to come and formulate a way that you can 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,” he added.“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 teams are performing and that is kind of counterproductive in my view,” Kirsten said.
