"Told PCB he won't travel to Australia if his demands were not met" - Salman Butt on Gary Kirsten's rift with the board
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt recently said Gary Kirsten resigned as the white-ball coach of the Men in Green following a rift with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He suggested that Kirsten made a few demands ahead of the team's upcoming tour of Australia.
Butt claimed that Kirsten had even threatened the Pakistan board that he would not travel to Australia if his demands were not met. He added that the veteran coach wanted a few players in the squad and was also keen on bringing in the support staff of his choice.
Reacting to Kirsten's resignation, here's what Butt said in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Salman Butt':
"From what I've heard, he wanted some players to be part of his team. I don't know the exact names but there are at least three or four players. Shadab Khan was maybe one of them. He didn't get the team of his choice. Then, he wanted his people in the support staff, but that too was refused. Things escalated to the level where he told the PCB that he wouldn't travel to Australia if his demands were not met." (0:54)
Salman Butt further opined that Kirsten wasn't fully focused on his role as Pakistan's coach. He noted that the former South Africa cricketer went home frequently and did not spend enough time in Pakistan.
"Did Gary Kirsten travel to South Africa from India every day? Did he just come for meetings and then go back to South Africa? So when these things are concerned, it is absolutely fine. If he was demanding some players who are out of form or their performers haven't been up to the mark in the last couple of years, and the selection committee didn't agree, then they did the right thing," Butt said (2:42).
Kirsten was given a two-year contract by the PCB in April this year. However, the 56-year-old stepped down just six months into the role.
"Bob Woolmer did not run away to South Africa every day" - Salman Butt takes a dig at Gary Kirsten
Salman Butt cited the example of the late Bob Woolmer to emphasize that a foreign coach has to live in Pakistan for a certain amount of time if he has been appointed as the coach.
He spoke about how Woolmer was actively involved with Pakistan cricket during his stint as the head coach, even attending domestic matches. Butt remarked in the aforementioned video:
"If you bring a foreign coach, he has to live in Pakistan for a certain period. Bob Woolmer did not run away to South Africa every day. He used to watch domestic cricket matches, and club matches and met every single cricketer. He even traveled to Zimbabwe and Namibia with the A team when he was free."
Pakistan's red-ball coach Jason Gillespie has been named as Pakistan's interim coach for the Australia tour.