Pakistan men's team and head coach Gary Kirsten

The 56-year-old former South Africa player took over as Pakistan head coach shortly before the tournament, and according to a quoted statement circulated widely on X (formerly Twitter), he has offered a stern, brutal assessment of his new side. Even a former president of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, responded to the message.

Alvi jokingly responded to a post made by Ihtisham Ul Haq, a journalist with over a million followers. He quoted Kirsten as saying: “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.”

However, there is no published interview, either written or in video form, of Kirsten saying the quote in question, or something similar to it. The quotes are instead based on sources from within the dressing room, as reported by journalist Sohail Imran on GEO News, but have not been verified by Kirsten himself, or a member of the Pakistan team.

Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup after losing to India and the USA in two close finishes, with the latter decided by a super over. In their last game yesterday (June 16), they faltered in a low chase against Ireland, losing seven wickets before Shaheen Shah Afridi got them over the line in the penultimate over. Given their rapid change in fortunes, having reached the final of the last edition of the tournament 18 months ago, questions have been raised over Babar Azam's continuation as captain of the white-ball side, and whether Pakistan's approach to white-ball cricket needs a complete overhaul.

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