Pakistan limited-overs coach Gary Kirsten resigns ahead of Australia tour
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan limited-overs coach Gary Kirsten resigned on Monday, hours before the team departs for a tour of Australia.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said it has accepted Kirsten’s resignation and replaced him with test coach Jason Gillespie on an interim basis for three one-day international and three Twenty20 matches in Australia.
Kirsten apparently resigned after the PCB limited the roles of head coaches and removed them from the reorganized selection committee after Pakistan lost the first test against England earlier this month.
Former international fast bowler Aaqib Javed, ex-International Cricket Council umpire Aleem Dar and former test captain Azhar Ali were named to the selection committee as Pakistan rebounded to beat England 2-1 on engineered dry pitches.
The head coaches and captains of both formats previously had votes on the selection committee, but the PCB decided to give all the powers to the new committee after the opening loss to England by an innings and 47 runs.
Gillespie had expressed his frustration on his limited role on the eve of third and final test last week and said he was now just a “match-day analyst”.
“Lots of things change in Pakistan at the drop of a hat,” Gillespie had told Sky Sports. “I’ve got to always remember that I’m a foreigner in Pakistan and I’ve got to respect that and that things are probably done differently to what I’m used to or what I expect in the environment I’ve come from in Australia.”
Kirsten, who also coached India, was appointed in April on a two-year contract. During his short stint Pakistan made an early exit from T20 World Cup, losing to the U.S. and India in the group stage.
Pakistan will be playing its first ODI since last year’s World Cup in India when it takes on Australia at Melbourne on Nov. 4.
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