Gary Kirsten reacts to Pakistan players being fined after being ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026
Former Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten said he was not surprised to hear the news of the team being fined for its poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan exited the tournament during the Super 8 stage, having managed just one win over a full member nation and losing to India once again.
According to a report by The Express TribuneEach player on the team may face a fine of PKR 5 million (approximately Rs 16 lakh) for not meeting the performance standards. The move was believed to be inspired by Mohsin Naqvi, indicating a tough stance by the Pakistan Cricket Board in dealing with poor results. Insiders suggest that the leadership has become increasingly frustrated after disappointing performances in major ICC tournaments.
Kirsten recently talked about her time spent with the Pakistan team And the toxic culture with the cricket system in the country and he gave his opinion on the matter. Speaking to BBC, the former Pakistan coach said that he was saddened to hear the news as he believes that the players are giving their all for the team.
Kirsten said, “I’m not particularly surprised (by the news of Pakistani players being fined). To me, it’s just sad. I mean, those players are giving their all and I know them well. You know them all. So I have an emotional attachment to a lot of them. I saw them in Colombo and it was great to reconnect with them. And they’re good people. They want to do well for their country. So when you When you look at it, it never looks good.”
‘Pak players are dedicated to sports’
Kirsten spoke openly about his relationship with the Pakistan players and said that they were completely professional and he enjoyed his tenure with them.
“At the end of the day, I enjoy working with cricket players. And if you have cricket players, whether they’re from England, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, they’re cricket players, they’re professionals. We speak the same language. We connect on the same things, and we’re professionals in that area. And you know, I enjoyed the Pakistan players, I did. I thought they were dedicated to the game,” Kirsten said.
The exit from the T20 World Cup 2026 was the third consecutive time that Pakistan failed to make the last four of an ICC competition.
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