Pakistan Stunned by Ireland Ahead of T20 World Cup: Captaincy Shakeup and Coaching Overhaul

In a shocking turn of events, Pakistan faced a surprising defeat against Ireland, raising questions about their readiness for the impending T20 World Cup. While opener Saim Ayub and Iftikhar Ahmed showed promise with scores of 45 and 37 respectively, the rest of the batting lineup faltered, including key players like Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, and Shadab Khan.

Pakistan’s preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup suffered an almighty jolt when they were defeated by Ireland by 5 wickets.

Captain Babar Azam, who top-scored with 57 runs, couldn’t salvage the situation as Ireland chased down the target with ease, led by Andrew Balbirnie’s stellar 77.

With the help of Andrew Balbirnie’s 77, Ireland chased down the total in 19.5 overs to go 1-0 up in the 3-match series.

The loss comes at a crucial time for Pakistan, who are gearing up for the T20 World Cup where they are placed in a tough Group A alongside arch-rivals India, as well as Canada, USA, and Ireland.

Pakistan are in Group A in the T20 World Cup 2024 with arch-rivals India as well as Canada, USA and Ireland.

Adding to the upheaval, Pakistan recently witnessed a change in leadership with Babar Azam returning as captain after Shaheen Shah Afridi’s brief stint. Additionally, the Pakistan Cricket Board made significant coaching appointments, with Jason Gillespie taking charge for the red-ball format and Gary Kirsten overseeing white-ball games.

A couple of weeks ago, Pakistan Cricket board had announced three key personal to take charge of the Pakistan men’s cricket team: Jason Gillespie will take charge of the Pakistan cricket team for the red-ball format while Gary Kirsten will manage the team in white-ball games. Meanwhile, Azhar Mahmood has also been confirmed as an assistant coach across all formats for the Pakistan men’s team.

Amidst these changes, Gary Kirsten’s track record, including guiding India to victory in the 2011 ODI World Cup, adds an intriguing element to Pakistan’s future prospects.

Under him, India had won the 2011 ODI World Cup and reached the No 1 position on the ICC Test Team Rankings. Kirsten takes charge of Pakistan at a crucial juncture: the next two years will see ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, ACC T20 Asia Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

With the T20 World Cup looming and a revamped coaching setup, Pakistan’s journey promises to be a captivating one, filled with anticipation and uncertainty.