Pakistan cricket team have struggled to deliver strong performances recently, leading to early exits from ICC championships. A notable trend following these disappointing performances is the significant changes and upheaval within their core team. Similarly, after their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, there’s reports of their head coach Gary Kirsten expressing strong discontent with the team culture. Kirsten remarked that the team had 'disharmony', a situation he had never encountered before in his coaching career.
Previous edition's runners-up, Babar Azam-led Pakistan had one of their worst performances in recent years. They ended their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a consolation win over Ireland, following a shocking loss to co-hosts USA and then a defeat by the arch-rivals India despite bossing the most of the game.
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According to Geo News, a Pakistani news media outlet, Kirsten, who led India to an ODI World Cup victory in 2011, was blunt in his evaluation of the team after their elimination from the ongoing T20 tournament.
"There's no unity in Pakistan's team. They call it a team, but it isn't a team. They aren't supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I've worked with many teams, but I've never seen such a situation," Kirsten said according to Geo News.
Kirsten Questions Pakistan Players' Fitness & Skills
Kirsten reportedly criticized the players for inadequate fitness levels and lagging behind global standards in skills, highlighting confusion in shot selection despite their experience in cricket.
"Fitness levels are not up to the mark and they are far behind the rest of the world in terms of skill levels. Even after playing so much cricket, no one knows which shot to play and when," Kirsten reportedly said.
Are Gary Kirsten's Statements True?
However, as reports of his comments about the Pakistan cricket team spread rapidly, an X user named Himanshu Pareek posted a screenshot of a chat claiming that Gary Kirsten denied making those statements about the Pakistan team on WhatsApp when asked for his statement.
"Absolutely Not! I'm not on social media and I don't make public comments unless at a press conference," reads the text in the WhatsApp chat screenshot claiming Gary Kirsten's response.