Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten slammed by Ahmed Shehzad, explains why his appointment isn't justified

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Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten has been slammed by out-of-favour batter Ahmed Shehzad for making a weak statement ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. The former South Africa opener, who is with Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2024 right now, will join the Pakistan squad during their England tour later this month.

Pakistan have appointed Gary Kirsten as their coach of the ODI and T20I team for a period of two years. Immediately after the appointment, Gary Kirsten said it would be a big achievement for Pakistan to win any of three upcoming ICC events.

"If you can win one of those three ICC Events, that will be an amazing achievement on its own, whether it's the upcoming event or it's two years from now," Kirsten said on the PCB Podcast.

"My job is to make sure that the team operates at its best, it's as simple as that. And if the team is operating at its best, we will always have a good chance of winning a trophy."

Ahmed Shehzad, who last represented Pakistan in 2019, questioned Gary Kirsten's intent. He also explained why appointing Gary Kirsten as Pakistan team coach could be an unwise decision.

"Gary Kirsten is a renowned coach but he will be fed information by those who will select the team. He does not have a base in Lahore nor has he grown up in Pakistan to understand the nature of different players," Shehzad told Geo News.

"At the end of the day, those involved with PCB are the ones who will be guiding him and doing all of this 2 years will have passed by. Already he has made a statement that I did not like. Kirsten said if we do not win the upcoming T20 World Cup then we might do well in the next two.

"So already he is keeping himself in a safe position. He must show confidence and these are weak statements. This is not how a winner talks," he added.