‘I've been in touch with Babar’ - Gary Kirsten wants Pakistan skipper to play to his natural abilities

The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) recently came forward to announce that former South Africa cricketer Gary Kirsten will be the new head coach of Pakistan’s white-ball team. With his appointment, Kirsten has already started laying out plans for the side, with the most important one coming for Babar Azam.

According to Kirsten, Babar holds too much weight on his shoulders. The newly appointed coach wants the ace batter to feel unburdened and share batting responsibility with the rest of the teammates.

In doing so, Kirsten feels that Babar can unlock his true batting potential, and Pakistan will thrive under such conditions as well, as they would not have to rely on a single individual to get them through.

“It [dependence on Babar] is not fair on any player. He shouldn't feel like he has to be contributing all the time to a team. I've been in touch with Babar. He's done remarkably well and carries a lot of the weight of the team on his shoulders. What we will try to do as a coaching staff is to lift that a little bit and to realise he's just one of the one of a whole group of players and that he can free himself up to play with his natural talent,” Gary Kirsten told Talksport.

Also Read: If Pakistan lose World Cup, the board will blame Kirsten or Babar Azam: Rashid Latif

That'll take a lot of pressure off him: Kirsten

It is interesting to note that since the start of 2022, the star cricketer has been one of two Pakistan batters to score more than 1,000 T20I runs, and he looked exceptional in Pakistan’s recent T20I series against Ireland. Scoring 75 off just 42 balls, Babar helped his side win the game and secure the series. Seeing his knock, Kirsten hoped that the side would see more of that from the ace batter.

Also Read: IRE vs PAK: Babar Azam smashes 4 huge sixes against Benjamin White in one over, video goes viral

“Hopefully we see a lot more of that [the Ireland innings] kind of knock from him. I think if we can unlock that freedom, and understand that there's a big group of guys that can make match-winning contribution, especially in T20 cricket, that'll take a lot of pressure off him,” Kirsten said.