NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has unleashed a fiery rant after Gary Kirsten’s abrupt departure as Pakistan’s limited-overs coach.
Basit, who shared his frustration on his YouTube channel, lamented the deteriorating state of Pakistan cricket.
“Pakistan’s cricket is deteriorating, and I don’t want it to decline. In the coming days, it will get worse,” he remarked.
Basit expressed his frustration that foreign coaches like Kirsten are often hired without first being tested at the junior levels.
Drawing comparisons to global practices, he pointed out that Australia and India adopted a more measured approach, with Rodney Marsh and Rahul Dravid working with grassroots programs before ascending to senior roles.
“Mazak bana diya hai Pakistan ka (They’ve made a joke out of Pakistan). And the establishment is 90 percent involved in it,” Basit said, hinting at internal interference in cricketing decisions.
Babar Nahi Tou Main Bhi Nahi | Ye Halat Hai Humari Cricket Kee | Basit Ali
Mocking Kirsten’s reported reservations about player selection, Basit said, “Now Gary Kirsten is acting innocent, saying, ‘I won’t accept it without Babar Azam.’ So you don’t want Rizwan as captain, and you don’t want Shaheen Afridi—is this Pakistan’s team or Gary Kirsten’s team?”
He further ridiculed Kirsten’s potential distractions, quipping, “Next, he’ll say, ‘My academy is running in Cape Town,’ and then join some IPL or PSL franchise. Why do you even give opportunities to people like this who can’t spend their time in Pakistan?”
Kirsten, renowned for coaching India to the 2011 World Cup win, had been appointed by the PCB on a two-year contract in April.
However, his tenure lasted just six months, with tensions reportedly brewing between the PCB and the coaching staff.
In a recent announcement on social media platform ‘X,’ the PCB confirmed Kirsten’s resignation and revealed that Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s Test coach, will step in for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia.
The PCB’s decision to strip Kirsten and Gillespie of their voting rights in team selection earlier this month fueled speculation of internal disagreements.