Courtesy: X
Gary Kirsten, the Pakistan head coach in the white-ball formats, has demanded three major changes from his players while speaking in a press conference on Monday, September 23. After the first day of the “Connection Camp” arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), where the team management and the select players discussed the future of cricket in the country, Gary Kirsten told the media about demanding professionalism, pride, and unity from the members of the national team.
Notably, in the year 2024, Pakistan cricket team have been quite poor across formats, losing a Test series at home to Bangladesh 0-2, which included their first Test defeat against the same nation. Just under three months ago in the USA, the Pakistan cricket team lost to the hosts for the first-time in the shortest format of the game in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024, bowing out of the competition quite early.
I think we all agree we want the Pakistan team to be as successful: Gary Kirsten
Since then, there have been rumours about various factions in the Pakistan cricket team according to the various media reports, which hasn't helped their cause in the eyes of the fans either. During the recent press conference in Pakistan, Gary Kirsten spoke to the media about what he wants from the Pakistan cricket team, as per the report from India Today, and said, “It was a fantastic time today to be part of this connection camp. I think the intention around it was to align our purposes for the team. I think we all agree we want the Pakistan team to be as successful as it possibly can be across all the formats.”
The former South African cricketer mentioned the importance of professionalism in the Pakistan cricket team, which will help them become the best possible version of themselves, and have pride in what they do. He said, “We spend today just going through the various things that can help us and help the team be the best version of itself. So I think, from the team and the players in terms of their levels of professionalism, was one thing that we spoke about that was really important. And I think the commitments around making sure that they are. And present themselves as best they can for the nation, and to bring pride back into Pakistan cricket.”
It's a very talented cricket team across all the formats: Gary Kirsten on Pakistan side
Furthermore, Gary Kirsten talked about the need for unity among his players, which will serve them well in the long run. “I think we all want a successful team, don't we, and we want the team to do well in everything that they play in. And there's no reason why it can't. It's a very talented cricket team across all the formats, but there are processes that you need to put in place. And this and I think that's what we are focusing on. We want to know that we got a robust system in the country and that there's competition for places, and that our team is unified in its approach to competing against the best teams in the world,” he concluded.
