Gary Kirsten has arrived at Leeds to join the Pakistan cricket team as a white-ball head coach before their upcoming T20I series against England. The former South African batter landed on Sunday thereby allowing him to oversee preparations for the first match that is scheduled for May 22 2022 at Headingley.
When he landed, Kirsten was received by the team management and white-ball skipper Babar Azam. Kirsten was officially brought into the team by senior team manager Wahab Riaz who gave him the team’s training jersey as a sign that he had become a part of the playing unit. Kirsten will begin overseeing practice sessions from Monday, scheduled from 9:from 30 AM to 12:30 PM local time. The final practice session before the first T20I will take place on Tuesday from 1:local time from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
The total T20I matches are four and Pakistan will play different venues such as Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, The Oval against England. After the series, the Pakistani team will travel to the USA for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Their campaign begins against co-host United States of America on June 4 and then much anticipated match with India on June 9.
The Pakistan squad for the England series includes a mix of experienced players and young talent: Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Iftikhar ahmed, Imad wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Amir, Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and Usman Khan.
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Having Kirsten on board is likely to enhance the team’s performance, helping them achieve better results, offering new strategic approaches, and improving their skills before one of the most difficult series and the T20 World Cup.