Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten submits 'confidential' report to PCB on team's performance

• Report highlights players' fitness, game awareness and discipline.
• PCB chief will consult other board officials, ex-cricketers: sources.
• Players' valuing unity, fitness will be part of team, says Kirsten.
  

LAHORE: Pakistan's white-ball coach Gary Kirsten has submitted a “confidential” assessment report on the national side's disastrous performance in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024 to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), sources told Geo News on Wednesday.

The report, the sources added, has been sent to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi who will review the document highlighting players' fitness, discipline and game awareness among other things that led to the team's early exit from the mega event.

The development comes as the Green Shirts failed to even make it to the Super Eight stage of the World Cup after suffering an upset loss against the minnows United States followed by a defeat against arch-rivals India.

The Babar Azam-led side only managed to win matches against Canada and Ireland which were insufficient to propel the team to the next stage of the tournament.

The below-par performance by the national side resulted in scathing criticism from fans and former cricketers alike prompting the PCB chief to announce a “major surgery” in the squad.

However, the board decided to wait for Kirsten and senior manager Wahab Riaz's report to make any decision with regard to the team's future.

After going through the report, the PCB chief will also consult other board officials and former cricketers before taking a decision on the way forward.

Earlier, Geo News while citing sources had reported that Kirsten had expressed concerns over the players' fitness levels, stating they are not up to the mark.

In a discussion with the team after their elimination from the World Cup, the coach pointed out that the team's skill level is significantly lagging compared to the rest of the world.

"Despite playing so much cricket, no one knows which shot to play and when," he said, adding that only players who value unity, focus on fitness, and improve their skill set will be part of the team moving forward.

The team's poor performance has also been acknowledged by wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan who, while talking to the media in Peshawar on Tuesday, said that the criticism faced by the Men in Green was justified.

"The criticism the team is facing is justified and we deserve this since we didn’t perform in accordance with expectations. Players who can’t face criticism won’t be able to succeed.

"We are disappointed with our performance in the T20 World Cup. There are multiple reasons behind our losses. When a team loses, one can’t say that bowling and batting is doing well," Rizwan said.

It must be noted that India won the T20 World Cup 2024 by beating South Africa in the final by seven runs on Saturday in Barbados.

India joined England and the West Indies to win the T20 World Cup title two times as they won their first in 2007 by beating Pakistan in the final.

The next edition of the T20 World Cup will be held in 2026 in India and Sri Lanka for which Pakistan have already qualified owing to their seventh place on the ICC T20I rankings.