Current senior selector Aaqib Javed and former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq are in fray to replace Gary Kirsten as Pakistan’s new white ball coach after the former Proteas batter stepped down due to his differences with country’s cricket board. The PCB, on Monday, officially confirmed that Kirsten had resigned and as an interim arrangement it has asked the red ball coach, Jason Gillespie to manage the team for the white ball series in Australia from November 4. But Gillespie has intimated that he would look at it as a one-off arrangement.

“The problem is both Kirsten and Gillespie were not happy with their sudden demotion in powers with the selectors given powers to call all the shots,” one source said.

He said since Gillespie was in the middle of the England series he reluctantly accepted the changes but has publicly made it clear he is no happy at not being involved in the selection process.

“The situation now is that the PCB has to appoint a new white ball coach given the number of white ball commitments of the national team coming up and leading up to the Champions Trophy early next year,” the source said.

“One option is to let assistant coach Azhar Mahmood continue as interim head coach but Aaqib or Saqlain could also land the job.” Saqlain has remained head coach of the Pakistan team before but was replaced by Mickey Arthur early last year when Najam Sethi was in power in the board.

The source did say they are some other candidates under consideration and the board chairman, Mohsin Naqvi would soon have talks with shortlisted candidates.

The PCB has made no official comment on why Kirsten resigned nor has the former South African player said anything but board insiders say the dispute arose over several issues between Kirsten and the PCB.

“Look we had high hopes from Kirsten when we entered into a two-year contract with him. The idea was he could help the PCB to revolutionize the white ball team,” one source aware of the happenings said.

He said the PCB got the feeling that Kirsten never seemed fully committed to his job.

“He did not have a single camp in Pakistan for any of the white ball teams. He was not present at the white ball camps of the Shaheens throughout the summer. And it all culminated with him missing the majority of the Champions Cup.” Another complaint against Kirsten is that although his contract stated clearly he would just take 30 days vacation in a year, he didn’t even spend 30 days in Pakistan after joining.

The PCB was also put off with Kirsten’s insistence on having more foreign coaches on his team and the dispute between them blew up once the board decided to strip the coaches of selection powers.

The PCB had also sidelined and pushed foreign coaches, Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn etc to resign after last year’s WC.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed five former stalwarts of Pakistan cricket to mentor their domestic and international cricketers, in preparation for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Champions One-Day Cup will be held in Pakistan between five domestic teams, with the intention of featuring not only the best domestic performers in Pakistan but also senior team players who are centrally contracted. In light of this, the PCB has named Waqar Younis, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq as mentors for the teams during the Champions One-Day Cup.

Following a loss to Bangladesh in the first Test – their first-ever Test defeat to them – the PCB seems to be in no mood to take preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy lightly, even more so as it is being held on home soil.

“These five mentors will play a pivotal role in the development and progression of our emerging cricketers. They will guide strategic planning and team-building processes, while also providing support in leadership and personal development,” said PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, in a press release.

The Champions One-Day Cup will start on September 12, just over a week after the end of Pakistan’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh. It will be held at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, which will see a return of One-Day cricket after more than two years.

Naqvi reiterated that the five mentors had been selected after a robust recruitment process, with the aim of reducing the quality gap between domestic and international cricketers.

“These individuals bring a wealth of cricketing experience, knowledge and expertise, which, combined with their passion for the game we all love, will help the Pakistan Cricket Board identify, develop and nurture the next generation of cricketers across all formats,” Naqvi emphasised.

The five share more than 32,000 runs and 1,500 wickets between them across all forms of international cricket.

File image of Waqar Younis© AFP

Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates with captain Babar Azam after taking his 100th ODI wicket during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Kolkata on October 31, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, on October 31, became the fastest Pakistani bowler to claim 100 ODI wickets. He achieved this feat in the 50th innings during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Kolkata. Pakistan is playing Bangladesh to stay in contention for a semifinal berth. Shaheen Afridi overtook the record of Saqlain Mushtaq who took 53 matches to reach the milestone.

Shaheen Afridi, son-in-law of former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, has taken 105 wickets in Tests in just 46 innings apart from 64 wickets in T20 internationals.

He represented his country in the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He was also the leading wicket taker in the tournament with 12 wickets.

In September 2018, he made his debut in the ODIs during the 2018 Asia Cup against Afghanistan and made his T20 international debut in March 2018. Shaheen Shah Afridi, the main strike bowler for the Pakistani team, made his Test debut in December 2018.