LAHORE: In the wake of Pakistan’s recent cricket struggles, both white-ball and red-ball coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie have advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to make rash decisions regarding team captains. The call for stability comes as the national party leadership debate intensifies in both formats. After the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar Azam was removed from his role as white-ball captain and replaced by Shaheen Afridi. However, Afridi’s tenure was cut short after a series of disappointments. Babar’s resignation as Test captain led to Shan Masood being appointed as the new Test captain. Pakistan under Masood recently faced a setback when they lost the home series against Bangladesh, sparking discussions about his future. Despite these calls, a source close to the PCB recently rubbished rumors of potential management changes. The source further emphasized that Kirsten and Gillespie are pushing for both captains to have a fair chance to prove their leadership. “There was no discussion about changing the captaincy as PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi left the captaincy decision to the two coaches and the selectors,” the source said. “Kirsten and Gillespie are clear that both Shan and Babar need a good run before assessing their leadership skills,” he added. The topic of captaincy change is not expected to be addressed at the upcoming ‘Connection Camp’ workshop scheduled for later this month in Lahore. This workshop aims to align domestic cricket standards with international expectations and will include input from domestic team coaches, selectors and contracted players. “This workshop is being held to hear the views of all stakeholders, especially the home team coaches, selectors and contracted players, so that the board can bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket standards. The workshop is basically being held because both coaches want the domestic coaches teams have a clear idea of what is required of them to ensure a flow of players who can be considered for selection into national teams of all formats,” the source concluded.
