Gary Kirsten, the South African coach of the Pakistan team, sees a chance for Pakistan to win the upcoming T20 World Cup. He noted that despite the possibility of winning the T20 World Cup for the second time, Babar and Rizwan will face tough challenges.
Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan’s coach last month on a two-year contract. He will join the team in Leeds on May 19 before the start of the four-match T20 series against England.
Kirsten will have three days to spend with the players and coaching staff of Pakistan before the first match against England on May 22. Pakistan will complete their T20 World Cup preparations with the series against England. Pakistan will start the World Cup on June 6 with a match against co-hosts the United States.
In a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the upcoming World Cup, Kirsten said, “This is truly an exciting time for Pakistan cricket. The main goal is for the new administration and players to move forward together to achieve success.”
He added, “The upcoming T20 World Cup presents a great opportunity to showcase our capabilities and maintain our past achievements as a strong team.” Kirsten emphasized the need for team performance and planning for success on a big stage like the World Cup.
He said, “Success depends on collective effort, proper planning, and strong support for each other. We have to compete with 19 other teams for the title. To achieve our goal, we need consistent performance to overcome our opponents.”
Kirsten, the former coach of India who won the 2011 ODI World Cup, further said, “Personally, I miss the experience of coaching at the international level, where talented players were nurtured to reach their best.
I am committed to working closely with the team to improve players’ performance and bring joy to fans around the world.”
Simon Helmot has been appointed as the mental performance coach, and David Reid as the fielding coach, joining Kirsten on Pakistan’s coaching panel.
The PCB has stated that Reid will join the team on May 20 and work until the end of the World Cup. Helmot will join the team on May 31. Currently, Aftab Khan is performing the duties of the fielding coach. After Helmot takes over, Aftab will serve as the high-performance coach for the World Cup.
