Gary Kirsten has stepped down as Pakistan men’s white-ball coach six months after being appointed in that position. Here is a list of his predecessors in the role.
In April, Kirsten was appointed as the ODI and T20I coach on a two-year basis, along with Jason Gillespie, who took over as Pakistan’s head coach in Test cricket. Also, this was the first time they opted for split-coaching. The appointment came after the position of head coach was left vacant following the departure of Grant Bradburn in the aftermath of their ODI World Cup debacle last year.
However, six months since, the Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed Kirsten's departure, with Gillespie set to become their interim head-coach for their white-ball tour of Australia starting November 4.
Kirsten’s first assignment was the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan succumbed to a group-stage elimination after losing to India and hosts USA. His early exit means he didn’t coach Pakistan in a single ODI.
The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted.
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 28, 2024
Who had the longest stint as Pakistan head coach?
Pakistan’s musical chair of head coaches has seldom witnessed stability. Former captain Intikhab Alam became the team’s manager in 1982 and stayed in the role for the next decade. He served in the manager-cum-head coach role in Pakistan’s maiden World Cup win in 1992. His other full-time coaching stint came in 2008 when he took over from the sacked Geoff Lawson.
Mickey Arthur, who led them to the famous 2017 Champions Trophy title, has had the longest continuous stint as the Pakistan head coach. He served for more than three years, between May 2016 and August 2019. Under Arthur, Pakistan rose to the top of the T20I as well as Test rankings, following a 2-2 series draw in England in his first assignment. In 2023, he returned for another stint, this time as the country’s director of cricket before being sacked for their dismal ODI World Cup campaign.
The most tragic end was Bob Woolmer's, who was found dead in his hotel room the day after Pakistan had lost to Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) at the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Full list of Pakistan men's head coaches
Intikhab Alam (1994, 2008-10)
Mushtaq Mohammad (1995-96, 1999)
Haroon Rasheed (1996-98)
Javed Miandad (1998-99, 2000-01, 2003-04)
Wasim Raja (Interim) (1999)
Intikhab Alam (1999-2000)
Richard Pybus (Interim 1999, 2001, 2002-03)
Mudassar Nazar (2001-02)
Bob Woolmer (2004-07)
Geoff Lawson (2007-08)
Mohsin Khan (Interim 2011-12)
Dav Whatmore (2012-14)
Moin Khan (Interim 2014)
Waqar Younis (2010-11, 2014-16)
Mickey Arthur (2016-19)
Misbah-ul-Haq (2019-21)
Saqlain Mushtaq (2021-23)
Abdul Rehman (Interim, 2023)
Grant Bradburn (2023)
Mohammad Hafeez (2023-24)
Azhar Mahmood (Interim, 2024)
Jason Gillespie (Tests, 2024-Present)
Gary Kirsten (T20Is and ODIs, 2024)
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
