"Gary Kirsten is the mastermind behind this" - Basit Ali takes a dig at Pakistan's white-ball coach after PCB's connection camp
Former Pakistani batter Basit Ali has slammed Pakistan's white-ball coach Gary Kirsten for emphasizing the importance of consistency during the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) recently concluded connection camp meeting in Lahore. He suggested that whatever was said at the meeting was predecided.
Basit opined that the real issues weren't addressed and the focus was on ensuring the safety of Pakistan's top players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi. Calling Kirsten the mastermind behind this, the cricketer-turned-expert said during a live session on his YouTube channel (from 14:10):
"I call the connection camp a recommendation camp. Do you know what happened before this meeting? The boys sat among themselves and discussed what they would speak about in the meeting so that Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi remained safe. This is the reality. Gary Kirsten is the mastermind behind this."
Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan's white-ball coach earlier this year. However, the move is yet to yield positive results for the Men in Green as they suffered a group stage exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"They are just trying to save themselves" - Basit Ali on Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie
Apart from Gary Kirsten, Basit Ali slammed Pakistan's red-ball coach Jason Gillespie. He pointed out how the side has suffered embarrassing losses during the tenure of two coaches.
Alleging that both Kirsten and Gillespie are just looking to save their jobs, Basit remarked in the same video (from 8:56):
"They are speaking that there should be consistency. The biggest thing is that they have been saying it for their own benefit. What did Gary Kirsten do at the T20 World Cup? Pakistan were out after the first round itself. What did Jason Gillespie do? We lost to Bangladesh, a side against whom we had never lost. So, they are just trying to save themselves. The same guys have been playing for the past four years. What consistency are you talking about?"
Pakistan will next be seen in action during their upcoming three-match home Test series against England. The opening encounter will be played at Multan on October 7.