Pakistan appoints Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie as cricket coaches
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie to two-year terms as head coaches in white-ball and red-ball cricket, respectively, on Sunday.
Azhar Mahmood, who was the ad-hoc head coach for the five-match T20 series against New Zealand, was named assistant coach in all three formats – tests, ODIs and T20s.
Kirsten will take charge of the Pakistan team immediately after completing his assignment in the Indian Premier League where he is serving as batting coach and mentor to 2022 champion Gujarat Titans.
Pakistan is scheduled to play seven Twenty20s next month — three against Ireland and four against England — ahead of the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean in June. Kirsten is hoping to join the Pakistan team in England.
Pakistan had been looking for a long-term coach after last year’s 50-over World Cup in India where the team was coached by Mickey Arthur. Mohammad Hafeez briefly took charge of the team for the tours of Australia and New Zealand before Mahmood coached the team during the drawn T20 series against the Black Caps.