Pakistan Cricket Board Interference Disrupts Coaching After Kirsten Era

Gary Kirsten has detailed why the Pakistan head coach job collapsed so quickly, blaming deep interference within the Pakistan Cricket Board and an unhealthy work culture under Mohsin Naqvi. Kirsten said the system was so chaotic that sustained success felt impossible, and questioned how any coach could function in such conditions.

Kirsten stepped down in October 2024, only six months after taking charge of Pakistan’s white-ball teams. The former South Africa opener never even led an ODI during that spell. By the time Kirsten resigned, the gap between the professional coaching group and the political decision-makers had grown too wide.

Gary Kirsten and Pakistan Cricket Board interference under Mohsin Naqvi

Speaking to talkSPORT Cricket soon after becoming Sri Lanka head coach, Kirsten explained how the environment under Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi undermined his plans. Kirsten said there was constant noise around the team, little professional respect for coaches, and frequent steps from officials that made the role unworkable.

Kirsten said the first major flashpoint came after Pakistan’s early exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He tried to reshape standards around fitness and mental preparation, but quickly saw resistance. The PCB then removed the head coach’s voting rights on the selection committee, leaving Kirsten almost powerless over squads and leadership decisions.

Gary Kirsten on Pakistan Cricket Board culture and dressing-room issues

The World Cup-winning coach described how that power shift, driven by a Naqvi-backed panel, meant he had no real say in the squad for the Australia tour or in the move to appoint Mohammad Rizwan as captain. Reports from that period also suggested Kirsten had warned the players after the T20 World Cup loss to India that there was no unity in the dressing room.

Kirsten said the wider culture around Pakistan Cricket Board decisions only deepened his frustration. "The thing that surprised me probably more than anything was the level of interference. I don't think I have ever seen it at that level before. Did it surprise me? I don't know, but it was significant," Kirsten said.

The former India coach added that the response from the Pakistan Cricket Board to defeats was often more control, not support. "It is quite difficult for a coach to come in and formulate a way to work with the players when there is just this constant noise from the outside. It was tough and there were a lot of punitive actions around poor performance and things like that," he added.

Kirsten argued that coaches were routinely used as an easy target within the Pakistan Cricket Board structure. "As a coach, you are the lowest-hanging fruit when the team isn't going well, so 'let us get rid of the coach' or 'let us put a restriction on the coach', because that is the easiest thing to do when the team isn't performing—and that is counterproductive in my view. Then why recruit the coach?"

Gary Kirsten, Pakistan Cricket Board turmoil and Jason Gillespie’s exit

The tensions highlighted by Kirsten were mirrored in Jason Gillespie’s experience with the Pakistan Cricket Board later in 2024. Gillespie guided Pakistan to a historic home Test series win against England, yet sources said the Naqvi-led administration gradually sidelined Gillespie, echoing the erosion of authority that Kirsten described.

The situation worsened further when the PCB removed high-performance coach Tim Nielsen in December 2024 without any prior communication. That decision, which reportedly shocked Nielsen, was seen by many inside Pakistan cricket as another example of abrupt and top-down control. Together, these episodes under Mohsin Naqvi have raised serious questions about how any coach can build a stable project with Pakistan.