NEW DELHI: Former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten, who famously coached India to their 2011 World Cup win, stepped down as Pakistan’s white-ball coach just six months into a two-year contract. Kirsten’s unexpected resignation drew criticism from former cricketers, with many calling out the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the situation.
Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja expressed disappointment, describing Kirsten’s abrupt departure as creating “hodgepodge” in Pakistan cricket.
Kirsten resigned just a week before Pakistan’s upcoming white-ball series against Australia, leading the PCB to appoint Test coach Jason Gillespie as a replacement.
“It’s not good news because Pakistan needed an experienced hand like Gary Kirsten. I don’t have inside information, but from a distance, it doesn’t look great to lose your coach right before the start of a tour,” Ramiz said.
“Right now, there’s a hodgepodge in Pakistan cricket. The selection committee is nominating the playing XI. I’m not too sure if this happens anywhere else in the world,” Ramiz said.
“It’s not a straightforward situation because when someone like Gary Kirsten leaves the job, backlash is inevitable. People will speculate and want to know why he left. It’s not a great advertisement for Pakistan cricket. What you need is to ensure that, once you involve someone, you provide them with clarity regarding their role. I don’t know if that clarity was provided to Gary Kirsten. In the future, Pakistan may face challenges in hiring international talent due to Kirsten’s resignation. It’s not going to be an easy job to attract international coaches,” he added.
Pakistan recently secured a 2-1 Test series win against England and is set to face Australia in three ODIs and three T20Is, beginning November 4.
The ODIs will be held in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, with Brisbane, Sydney, and Hobart hosting the T20Is.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the prize money for the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup, which will commence at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium from September 12.

According to the PCB, the tournament winners will receive Rs 30 million, while the runners-up will receive Rs 15 million.

The tournament, featuring five teams, will start today with a high-profile match between the Mohammad Rizwan-led UMT Markhors and the Shadab Khan-led Panthers.

The aforementioned tournament will showcase the nation’s top cricketing talent in a single-league format.

Notable figures will mentor the five participating teams: Dolphins, UMT Markhors, Panthers, Allied Bank Stallions, and Nurpur Lions.

Saud Shakeel will captain the Dolphins, with Sarfaraz Ahmed as mentor; Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the Lions, guided by Waqar Younis; Mohammad Haris will captain the Stallions, with support from Shoaib Malik; Mohammad Rizwan will lead the Markhors, with Misbah-ul-Haq mentoring; and Shadab Khan will captain the Panthers, with Saqlain Mushtaq mentoring.

Matches will start at 3 pm local time, except for the Lions vs. Panthers game on September 16, which will begin at 9:30 am. The tournament includes 13 league matches, followed by three playoff games over four days, with the final scheduled for Sunday, September 29.

National cricketers due to compete in the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup remain uninformed about their match fees.

The tournament kicks off in Faisalabad on Thursday, featuring top Pakistani players, yet details regarding their salaries are still pending.

According to the details, players with national central contracts will receive half the match fee for domestic games compared to international matches.

Previously, the One-Day match fee was Rs644,620, meaning players received Rs322,310 per match.

Since no new agreement has been reached with the players, they will receive the same fees as domestic cricketers for the Champions Cup, which is taking place outside the Pakistan domestic calendar.

Domestic cricketers earn Rs60,000 per match for the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament, while non-playing members receive Rs20,000.

Initially, it was reported that the five mentors of the Champions Cup—Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq—will only be involved during the tournament and receive a salary of Rs5 million.

The PCB has now secured a three-year deal with the mentors, ensuring a monthly salary of Rs5 million.

After the Champions Cup, these mentors will continue to support players at academies and oversee talent scouting camps.

As a result, the mentors’ salaries surpass those of top cricketers like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan, who previously earned Rs4.5 million  per month under their central contracts.