Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh urged Gary Kirsten to step down as Pakistan head coach and issued a sternly worded statement, encouraging Kirsten to “not waste time” on Pakistan cricket.
Kirsten slammed Pakistan’s players for their performance after they suffered an early exit in the T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Harbhajan said it would be nice to see Kirsten return to India and train with the senior national squad.
Harbhajan took to X, referring to the former South African as one of the rarest diamonds and a special man.
“Don’t waste ur time there Gary .. Come back to Coach Team INDIA .. Gary Kirsten One of the rare .. A Great Coach ,Mentor, Honest nd very dear friend to all in our 2011 Team .. our winning coach of 2011 worldcup . Special man Gary” Harbhajan wrote in a post on X.
Earlier, Kirsten, who guided India to 2011 World Cup triumph, questioned Pakistan players’ approach after they suffered an early exit in the T20 World Cup.
Sources told Geo News, that Kirsten expressed concern over the fitness of the players and stated that they are not up to the mark.
Kirsten went on to point out that the team’s skill level is significantly low compared to their competitors.
“Despite playing so much cricket, no one knows which shot to play and when,” Kirsten was quoted as saying by Geo News.
Kirsten also revealed that the players don’t support each other and they lack unity as well.
“There’s no unity in Pakistan’s team. They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I’ve worked with many teams, but I’ve never seen such a situation,” Kirsten said as per reports quoting a senior scribe.
The former South African cricketer has also made it clear the players who work on these aspects will stay in the team.
Pakistan ended their campaign with a three-wicket win over Ireland in Florida on Sunday, a dead rubber after India and USA advanced to the Super 8 stage from Group A.
Placed in Group A, Pakistan endured back-to-back defeats against the co-hosts USA and then to their bitter rivals India.
They bounced back with two wins on the trot, but it wasn’t enough to turn their woeful campaign around and secure a spot in the Super 8.