Gary Kirsten, Pakistan’s new white-ball head coach, has arrived in the UK to join the team ahead of their T20I series against England. Kirsten, a South African cricket legend, was welcomed in Leeds by senior manager Wahab Riaz, captain Babar Azam, and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, who presented him with the team’s training shirt.
Kirsten’s appointment follows the Pakistan Cricket Board’s recent coaching overhaul, introducing new coaches for different formats. While Kirsten will lead the T20I and ODI squads, Australia’s Jason Gillespie has been appointed as the red-ball coach for Test matches.
Kirsten, a former South African cricketer with 101 Tests and 185 ODIs to his name, scored 14,087 runs and hit 34 centuries between 1993 and 2004. He aims to optimize the team’s performance in his new role. Kirsten’s coaching tenure with India saw them win the 2011 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and achieve the top spot in the ICC Test rankings. He later led South Africa to the number one Test ranking from 2011 to 2013.
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The first T20I between Pakistan and England will take place at Headingley, Leeds, on May 22. This series is crucial for both teams, with the World Cup commencing in the United States just two days after its conclusion.
Pakistan’s World Cup group includes India, Ireland, Canada, and the USA, while England’s group features Australia, Namibia, Scotland, and Oman.
Squads:
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan.
Pakistan’s Schedule of Upcoming Matches:
Tour of England:
- May 22 — First T20I at Leeds
- May 25 — Second T20I at Birmingham
- May 28 — Third T20I at Cardiff
- May 30 — Fourth T20I at The Oval
T20 World Cup 2024:
- June 6 — Pakistan vs USA, Dallas
- June 9 — Pakistan vs India, New York
- June 11 — Pakistan vs Canada, New York
- June 16 — Pakistan vs Ireland, Lauderhill
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