Are Gary Kirsten, Jason Gillespie justified in feeling upset over no longer being selectors?

[Savak]

Apparently this is what the media has been reporting that both coaches are unhappy that they have been removed from the selection panel and that they no longer have a vote. The PCB states the coaches alongside the captain will be consulted in forming the squads of 15 and the playing eleven but the final authority lies with the selection committee.

Both coaches claim that the PCB is in breach of contract with them because they were bought on board, they were promised full powers and authority.

Gillespie wanted to retain Babar, Shaheen in the squad. He erred in the Bangladesh series by going in with 4 pacers in the first test and only going in with the over rated Abrar in the second test and these selection blunders cost us 2-0 at home against Bangladesh. Gillespie was against whole sale changes in the team and strongly believed in continuity which meant the likes of Babar, Shaheen were given another chance. England hammered Pakistan and scored 823 runs where Babar failed miserably with the bat and Shaheen was bowling on fumes at 125-126 km/hr. The PCB were under severe pressure to make wholesale changes and they did and the changes they made i.e. dropping Babar, Shaheen, Naseem, changing the nature of the pitches drastically, bringing in Kamran Ghulam, Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali worked drastically in Pakistan's favour.

Similarly Kirsten is unhappy that the PCB did not appoint Mohd Haris as T-20 captain as per his suggestion. Mohd Haris's performances in the Emerging Asia Cup is in front of us. He also wanted Shadab Khan in the ODI and T-20 squad. Shadab Khan's lack of performances for Pakistan in the last one year is in front of us.

My question is what is the point of giving these foreign coaches selection powers when they are hessitant to make tough decisions against the under performing star players? Why have a selection panel if it is ultimately the foreign coaches who are making the squad of 15 and playing eleven decisions?

Why can't these coaches first prove themselves and actually do what their job description entails i.e. series strategy, match strategy, working on technical stuff behind the scenes, getting the best out of the players selected?

How does it work in other teams around the world? Do foreign coaches have unquestioned powers to select the squad of 15, playing eleven without any questions asked?

I doubt the BCCI will ever let a foreign coach dictate to them. Heck they had Duncan Fletcher relegated to the sidelines and replaced by Ravi Shastri in 2021

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I can understand that they may not have an input into the squad selection..I don't like it but I can understand it.

But I can't understand if the selection committee is also picking the final XI.

It worked this time but overall it's a recipe for disaster as it requires the selectors to be with the team at all times, including away tours!

 

[Rana]

Similarly Kirsten is unhappy that the PCB did not appoint Mohd Haris as T-20 captain as per his suggestion. Mohd Haris's performances in the Emerging Asia Cup is in front of us

Where are you getting this from?

 

[ElRaja]

your point is moot, if they were contractually given those powers, then the pcb is in the wrong to unilaterally rescind them whilst expecting them to fulfill their contracts. its all well and good that dropping babar, naseem and shaheen led to those two wins, but its also the lack of consistency of governship, the adhoc nature of decision making, and a history of decision making on the whims of one person that has brought pakistan to this position in the first place.

the goal of any organisation is to build systems which run independent of key person risk, and that involves having consistency of governance. the same powers that can take away the coaches selection powers also drops the most impactful short format batsman pakistan has for his tweets.

in reality the system is designed to imbue insecurity at every level to create an environement of top down patronage, this is how all pakistani organisations run, to placate the egos of those who have greased the corporate and political wheels to get to where they have and expect no less of those they deem to be under them.

 

[TheSultan]

If the coach have no powers, I don’t understand why the captain should.

In all seriousness, the coaches not having a say is not a good thing. However, they did not show any out of the box thinking to counter us going from bad to worse.

Had Gillespie been given all the power, we would have not forced the spinning tracks and the strategy of the last two tests. We would have lost again and in ramiz’ words “still not cracked the code of winning at home” and we would still be “nothing without babar”.

Maybe the recent series could have been a wake up call and there should have been a clear division of responsibilities with Aqib, Gillespie and Kirsten working together.

 

[Savak]

If the coach have no powers, I don’t understand why the captain should.

In all seriousness, the coaches not having a say is not a good thing. However, they did not show any out of the box thinking to counter us going from bad to worse.

Had Gillespie been given all the power, we would have not forced the spinning tracks and the strategy of the last two tests. We would have lost again and in ramiz’ words “still not cracked the code of winning at home” and we would still be “nothing without babar”.

Maybe the recent series could have been a wake up call and there should have been a clear division of responsibilities with Aqib, Gillespie and Kirsten working together.

I am wondering what do countries like Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa do? Do they appoint their coaches on the selection panels?

 

[RexRex]

Selection committes should be able to overrule the coach & captain, the latter might engage in sentimental selection after having worked closely with the squad. Committes are objective.

 

[sweep_shot]

Why should they be upset? They are the coaches. They are not selectors.

Selections should be left to selectors.

 

[shariqnoor]

If Kirsten wanted Haris as T20 captain, Kirsten should be handed a severance package and given a one way ticket to Johannesburg.

However I doubt Kirsten would be dumb enough to want a rubbish cricketer like Haris as captain. Haris doesn't even warrant a place in a PSL side let alone national team.

 

[Rana]

If Kirsten wanted Haris as T20 captain, Kirsten should be handed a severance package and given a one way ticket to Johannesburg

He should be handed a one way ticket back to Joburg whilst never being in Pakistan in the first place?

 

[offstump]

Rumour is Kirsten is on the verge of resigning and Aaqib could be given head coaching duties in addition to being the de facto chief selector. Basically a new Misbah.

 

[Farabi]

your point is moot, if they were contractually given those powers, then the pcb is in the wrong to unilaterally rescind them whilst expecting them to fulfill their contracts. its all well and good that dropping babar, naseem and shaheen led to those two wins, but its also the lack of consistency of governship, the adhoc nature of decision making, and a history of decision making on the whims of one person that has brought pakistan to this position in the first place.

the goal of any organisation is to build systems which run independent of key person risk, and that involves having consistency of governance. the same powers that can take away the coaches selection powers also drops the most impactful short format batsman pakistan has for his tweets.

in reality the system is designed to imbue insecurity at every level to create an environement of top down patronage, this is how all pakistani organisations run, to placate the egos of those who have greased the corporate and political wheels to get to where they have and expect no less of those they deem to be under them.

Well said, but there's also a sense of "playing to the gallery" for an audience that seems equally focused on short-term gains and ego-driven decisions.

Firstly, it’s surprising to hear critiques of the foreign coaches’ performance so soon after their arrival. They’ve barely had time to influence the system! Coaching isn’t about quick fixes, and expecting immediate miracles is unrealistic. Winning a couple of matches with flawed methods is far less valuable than building a sustainable process, even if it means temporary losses. Yet, we’re seeing impulsive moves like dropping essential players mid-series, retracting promised responsibilities from top-tier coaches, and creating a reactionary environment. What’s even more concerning is the public support behind these decisions, which only fuels this short-sighted approach.

Gary Kirsten can make this Pakistan team a formidable side given time and trust. But it will not happen because no one has patience !

 

[Rana]

Rumour is Kirsten is on the verge of resigning and Aaqib could be given head coaching duties in addition to being the de facto chief selector. Basically a new Misbah.

Aqib won’t back down. He will let Gary go on his merry way. He said in his interview before taking the job how he doesn’t like the way foreign coaches don’t acclimatise to the task they have by not living in the country they have to work in. He said this about Silverwood at SL.

 

[offstump]

Aqib won’t back down. He will let Gary go on his merry way. He said in his interview before taking the job how he doesn’t like the way foreign coaches don’t acclimatise to the task they have by not living in the country they have to work in. He said this about Silverwood at SL.

I don’t think he’s wrong on that point. But that’s a miss by the PCB for allowing foreign coaches to treat the job as a part time role. I remember Woolmer was 100% dedicated to Pakistan and even lived at the NCA. He lived and breathed Pakistan cricket. Unfortunately, with the rise of league cricket jobs are plentiful so foreign “name” coaches can dictate terms.

 

[Savak]

Sadly Pakistan is not going to find a foreign coach who is going to shift base from Australia, England, South Africa to move to Pakistan, they don't pay them enough and the coaches also probably don't feel they can uproot their families to move here with them.

BCCI pays their coach $1 million, Cricket Australia and ECB $550,000-$600,000. If the PCB pays at market they might encourage these foreigners to actually live and work in Pakistan.

 

[Rana]

Selection committes should be able to overrule the coach & captain, the latter might engage in sentimental selection after having worked closely with the squad. Committes are objective.

Basic stuff.

Waqar Younis+Misbah brought back Nasir Jamshed a week before the 2015wc squad announcement. Because he scored a 150* in some club game somewhere.

Nasir had an atrocious 2015 wc every game he played.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Squad should be selected by Selection committee and playing 11 by coach and captain.

 

[Xoib]

If Naqvi is smart he will curb Aqib right now it took us so long to end Babar power reign we will be back to square one if Aqib is not controlled right now

 

[Mamoon]

The real issue is handing over playing XI selection to selectors. That is ridiculous and completely undermines the role of the coach.

The role and influence of a selection committee ends when the squad is announced. From that point onwards, it is the job of the captain and coach to decide who should play and what should be the team combination.

Taking away this responsibility from the coach reduces him to a complete dummy role. He can’t decide who should play, he can’t take on-field decisions because that is the captain’s domain, so what is he there for?

 

[Bewal Express]

I am not a believer in these sort of coaches. I have always called for a Director of cricket role where the whole strategy for the international players is done by one guy. But once he was appointed surely you let him do his job and then decide to change your policy of selection at the end.

 

[Kianig89]

A fact: Azhar Mehmood one of our present coach said in a press conference, we don't have spinners to prepare spin wickets.

So be aware about the intellectual of our coaches

 

[aboveandbeyond]

The real issue is handing over playing XI selection to selectors. That is ridiculous and completely undermines the role of the coach.

The role and influence of a selection committee ends when the squad is announced. From that point onwards, it is the job of the captain and coach to decide who should play and what should be the team combination.

Taking away this responsibility from the coach reduces him to a complete dummy role. He can’t decide who should play, he can’t take on-field decisions because that is the captain’s domain, so what is he there for?

Agree. Only a complete "Yes" man under the control of Aqib and Naqwi will take this role in the future.

 

[Kianig89]

PCB is the ultimate boss, like it or not , Gary and Gillespie should have acted like they are Guardiola and Mourinho.

Results should speak for themselves, everywhere there is a performance bases review and not the past credentials

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

If Kirsten was promised a say in selection (verbal or written), he is well within his rights to resign. No question.


Given how mercurial PCB is proving to be, the next foreign coach (if that happens) may well insist that stuff like this gets written into their contract, with penalties for breach.

 

[Savak]

A fact: Azhar Mehmood one of our present coach said in a press conference, we don't have spinners to prepare spin wickets.

So be aware about the intellectual of our coaches

People are too quick to bash the PCB, apparently the coaches at the time of signing the contracts promised that they would spend more time in Pakistan to scout players and to work on talent, the coaches only come to Pakistan one week before a local series or join the team directly on foreign tours, also the PCB was not impressed with the selection stubborness of the coaches, there was intense public pressure to bench Babar, Shaheen, Shadab and co because these players were living of past performances for too long, the team was on a never ending losing streak and the coaches were advocating sticking to the same players and not trying new players.

Organizations do not blindly empower people if they are not making sound decisions or not showing the commitment to the role expected, they will step in to correct things and the PCB selection committee proved that their changes against the coaches wishes made an immediate positive impact on the team's results.

Any coach when first coming into a set up needs to bond, gel with the players, make a positive impact and try to get some respect from the board, selectors by raking up wins. If you win and the team shows improvement, your suggestions and inputs get valued automatically.

If the coaches are now showing full fledged commitment and are not impressing the PCB with their decisions and are too star struck with the senior players, then i applaud the PCB for bringing them in line.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

People are too quick to bash the PCB, apparently the coaches at the time of signing the contracts promised that they would spend more time in Pakistan to scout players and to work on talent, the coaches only come to Pakistan one week before a local series or join the team directly on foreign tours, also the PCB was not impressed with the selection stubborness of the coaches, there was intense public pressure to bench Babar, Shaheen, Shadab and co because these players were living of past performances for too long, the team was on a never ending losing streak and the coaches were advocating sticking to the same players and not trying new players.

Organizations do not blindly empower people if they are not making sound decisions or not showing the commitment to the role expected, they will step in to correct things and the PCB selection committee proved that their changes against the coaches wishes made an immediate positive impact on the team's results.

Any coach when first coming into a set up needs to bond, gel with the players, make a positive impact and try to get some respect from the board, selectors by raking up wins. If you win and the team shows improvement, your suggestions and inputs get valued automatically.

If the coaches are now showing full fledged commitment and are not impressing the PCB with their decisions and are too star struck with the senior players, then i applaud the PCB for bringing them in line.

It's weird though that in Pakistan cricket it's always the coaches that are at fault but never the board.....

 

[Farabi]

People are too quick to bash the PCB, apparently the coaches at the time of signing the contracts promised that they would spend more time in Pakistan to scout players and to work on talent, the coaches only come to Pakistan one week before a local series or join the team directly on foreign tours, also the PCB was not impressed with the selection stubborness of the coaches, there was intense public pressure to bench Babar, Shaheen, Shadab and co because these players were living of past performances for too long, the team was on a never ending losing streak and the coaches were advocating sticking to the same players and not trying new players.

Organizations do not blindly empower people if they are not making sound decisions or not showing the commitment to the role expected, they will step in to correct things and the PCB selection committee proved that their changes against the coaches wishes made an immediate positive impact on the team's results.

Any coach when first coming into a set up needs to bond, gel with the players, make a positive impact and try to get some respect from the board, selectors by raking up wins. If you win and the team shows improvement, your suggestions and inputs get valued automatically.

If the coaches are now showing full fledged commitment and are not impressing the PCB with their decisions and are too star struck with the senior players, then i applaud the PCB for bringing them in line.

Judging a coach’s performance after just 4 months or a single series is too short-sighted. That’s why contracts are typically set for two years, not evaluated on a series-by-series basis.

A fair assessment, if done after two years, would allow the PCB to “intervene” if necessary and make meaningful adjustments.

If we go with what you’re suggesting and if the team loses another series or two under Aqib Javed, the PCB would again be in a position to “step in and make things right.” This approach only fuels chaos and uncertainty. This is why assessment periods/cycles are set at 2 years or more.

The current arrangement is short-sighted and doesn’t bode well, either. In nearly any state or international team, the selection committee doesn’t dictate the final 11 from afar. This setup is flawed and bound to lead to disappointment.