Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has claimed that former white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten breached his contract. Kirsten recently stepped down from his position just six months after being appointed in April.
According to Naqvi, Kirsten violated certain terms of his contract, leading to the abrupt end of their agreement. “He (Kirsten) broke his contract with the PCB and made some breaches. He ended the contract with us,” Naqvi told the media. Naqvi also confirmed that a new white-ball head coach will be appointed by the end of the month, as current interim coach Jason Gillespie, focused on his red-ball duties, will only lead the team for the Australia tour.
The PCB has not disclosed the exact reasons for Kirsten’s departure. However, sources suggest that Kirsten was reportedly unhappy with not being consulted when the PCB announced the squads and the new white-ball captain for the upcoming Australia and Zimbabwe tours. Additionally, it is believed that Kirsten breached certain contract terms by spending limited time in Pakistan and requesting a full foreign coaching staff.
The issue of Fakhar’s show cause notice will be handled by a special committee: Mohsin Naqvi
According to reports, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had considered senior selector Aaqib Javed as a potential replacement for Gary Kirsten as the white-ball head coach. However, Javed declined the role, expressing his preference to focus on player development and youth training at the National Cricket Academy.
Naqvi also addressed the situation involving Fakhar Zaman, who recently received a show cause notice from the PCB. Zaman had criticized the board’s decision on X (formerly Twitter) for resting Babar Azam for the last two Tests against England, a post that ultimately led to him losing his central contract and missing out on selection for the Australia and Zimbabwe tours.
“The issue of the show cause notice will be handled by a special committee of the board, while selection matters are fully managed by the selectors. I don’t interfere in the decisions of the selectors and coaches,” Naqvi clarified.