Former Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten said he was not surprised to hear the news of the team being fined for their poor performance at the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup. Pakistan crashed out of the tournament during the Super 8 stage, registering just one win over a full member nation and were beaten again by India.
According to a report by The Express TribuneEach player in the team can face a fine of PKR 5 million (around Rs 16 million) for failing to meet performance standards. The move, believed to have been masterminded by Mohsin Naqvi, signals a tougher stance by the Pakistan Cricket Board to deal with poor results. Insiders suggest that the management is growing frustrated after a string of disappointing outings in major ICC tournaments.
Kirsten recently spoke about his stint with the Pakistan team and the toxic culture with the country’s cricket system and gave his opinion on the matter. Speaking to the BBC, the former Pakistan coach said he was saddened to hear the news as he believed the players were giving their all for their side.
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“I’m not particularly shocked (by the news of the Pakistan players’ fines). To me, it’s just sad. I mean, those players give it their all and I’ve gotten to know them well. You know, all of them. So I have an emotional connection with a lot of those guys. I saw them in Colombo and it was great to reconnect with them. And they’re nice guys when it’s never good for their country. They said they want to do well.”
‘THE PLAYERS ARE THEN DEDICATED TO THE GAME’
Kirsten opened up about the bond he had with the Pakistani players and said they were consummate professionals and he enjoyed playing with them.
“At the end of the day, I enjoy working with cricketers. And if you have cricketers, whether they’re from England, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, they’re cricketers, they’re professionals. We speak the same language. We bond over similar things and we’re professionals in this space. And you know I liked the Kirsten players that I dedicated to Pakistan.
The exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup was the third time in a row that Pakistan failed to make it to the last four of the ICC tournament.
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Published on:
March 22, 2026 1:30 PM IST
