Yousuf spills the beans on Gary Kirsten’s appointment as Pakistan head coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is close to finalizing former South African batter Gary Kirsten as the white-ball head coach and ex-Australian pacer Jason Gillespie as the red-ball head coach for the national men’s team.

Mohammad Yousuf, while justifying the appointment of the new selection committee during the press conference on Tuesday, openly revealed Kirsten's appointment as head coach.

"Asad Shafiq is from Karachi, Gary Kirsten is from South Africa. This isn't my decision. Everyone is a good cricketer here - who is here undeservedly? Abdul Razzaq is the best all-rounder Pakistan ever produced. Asad Shafiq played 80 Tests and performed everywhere. Wahab Riaz's performances are there for everyone to see. He (Bilal Afzal) is the best person for data. Nowadays, data is very important. If we don't have data, how do we know who is doing what? The captain is also part of the committee and Gary Kirsten is our head coach," Yousuf said.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan fast bowler Azhar Mahmood has been appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to April 27.

Azhar, who has represented Pakistan in 164 internationals, capturing 162 wickets and accumulating 2,421 runs, previously served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan men’s cricket team from 2016 to 2019.

Wahab Riaz has been named as the senior team manager, while Mohammad Yousuf will undertake the role of batting coach. Saeed Ajmal, who previously served as the bowling coach during tours of Australia and New Zealand, will continue in his capacity as the spin bowling coach.

Pakistan team player support personnel for New Zealand T20Is:

Wahab Riaz (senior team manager), Mansoor Rana (team manager), Azhar Mahmood (head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Saeed Ajmal (spin bowling coach), Aftab Khan (field coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager), Zain Maqsood (videographer), Dr Khurram Sarwar (doctor), and Mohammad Imran (masseur)