"He will be fired after the ICC Champions Trophy" - Basit Ali on Pakistan's white-ball coach Gary Kirsten
Former Pakistani batter has predicted that Pakistan's white-ball coach Gary Kirsten will be removed from his position following the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He suggested it would be a huge success for the Men in Green if they somehow finished in the top four.
Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan's white-ball coach earlier this year. Despite roping in the 2011 World Cup-winning coach, the Babar Azam-led side had a disastrous 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. The side suffered losses to the United States of America and India, eventually resulting in a group-stage exit for them.
Opining that Kirsten won't be able to hold on to his job following the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, here's what Basit Ali said in a video shared on his official YouTube channel (from 5:41):
"Congratulations to Gary Kirsten. He will be at the helm of the team till the Champions Trophy. However, he will be fired after the Champions Trophy. I am saying this now that it will be tata, bye bye for him. It will be a big achievement for Pakistan to make it to the top four. They have also stepped into the politics of Pakistani cricket. They won't be successful."
It is worth mentioning that Gary Kirsten was part of the meeting conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in Lahore on Monday, September 23. The 'connection camp' featured the team's head coaches and senior players. Issues like workload management and unity were among the agendas in the meeting.
"There are processes that you need to put in place" - Gary Kirsten on the Pakistan team
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Gary Kirsten emphasized that Pakistan have enough talent to become a successful team across formats. However, he opined that a few changes need to be implemented to ensure the betterment of the team.
Kirsten said after the 'connection camp':
"I think we we all want a successful team, don't we, and we want the team to do well in everything that they play in. And there's no reason why it can't. It's a very talented cricket team across all the formats but there are processes that you need to put in place.
"And this and I think that's what we focusing on. We want to know that we got a robust system in the country and that there's competition for places, and that our team is unified in its approach to competing against the best teams in the world."
Pakistan's next international assignment will be a three-match home Test series against England, which begins on October 7.